THE OC: THE 25TH YEAR
by Brabbittt25
Summary: This is a story about the lives of our favorite characters when they are 25 years old, and how decisions they had years back have an effect years later.
1. The Pilot

THE OC 25

"So what you are saying is that between 9:30 and 11pm on Saturday March 5th, you were alone with Mr. McNab at his home, and during this time he never left your sight." The defense attorney questioned.

"Yes." The witness responded.

"Not even to get a soda? Use the bathroom? Take a call from his ex? Nothing?" The attorney said sarcastically.

"Objection!" The prosecutor interjected. "He is leading the witness, Your Honor."

"I was merely summarizing her testimony."

"Overruled!" The judged ruled.

"Thank you."

"…but be careful. You are treading on thin ice." The judged warned.

"Yes, your majesty… I mean… Your highness… your honor… yes, that's what I mean…" The defense attorney said rather muddled up.

The judge just looked at him over the top of his glasses, with an 'I'm-not-amused' look.

"I think lets call it a day." The judge said concluding proceedings. "We'll reconvene 9am on Monday."

He slammed his gavel down and the court began to clear.

The defense attorney returned to his seat, sat down, recollected his paperwork, stuffed it in to his briefcase, closed it, stood up and turned around and found himself facing his legal counterpart.

"That was a very good piece cross-examination, councilor." Zach responded.

"Thanks buddy." Seth said. "Got any plans for tonight?"

"I'm taking Sum out for a quiet, romantic dinner to celebrate our engagement." Zach replied.

"Ah, right… the engagement… how could I forget…?" Seth said, but in reality he really did want to forget. Forget all about the Summer/Zach union. How could things have got so muddled for him? HE was supposed to be with Summer… HE was supposed to be dating the girl of his dreams, HE was supposed to be proposing to arguably the most beautiful girl in Orange County, not Zach. However, Seth didn't dream of letting his emotions carry him away, Zach, apart from Ryan could very well be his best friend, and this definitely made things a bit weird for Seth.

"Seth…" Zach called his name. "SETH!"

Seth snapped out of his day dream. "Oh… yeah…"

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm cool…"

"We're gonna be having a BBQ at our place tomorrow afternoon in case…" Zach offered.

"Hmmmm… Okay, see you then." Seth responded.

Seth and Zach left the courthouse together. They got in their separate cars, both top-of-the-range BMWs, full house.

Both of them had studied law through college and had got jobs as attorneys at competing firms.

As Seth pulled out the parking lot, he started day dreaming, and replaying in his mind how he had come to find himself in this situation. He had to admit that it wasn't a bad place; most people his age would kill to have had the opportunities he's had: The good education, the great college degrees, and the opportunity to be a lawyer at one of Newport's most popular firms. He really was coining it, but it certainly wasn't his first choice. While still at school, he had had it all mapped out, and it was a lot different to how it is now: At 25, he had planned to be a comic book writer, possibly with a TV show on the side, and definitely a beautiful, black haired Summer waiting for him at home after a hard day at the office. Even the thought of a few little Seths running around had entered his mind way back then already.

Being an attorney is not really what Seth had in mind as his primary career path; it just sort of happened this way. Seth really wanted to be a cartoonist, but after the debarkle between him, Zach and Summer that fateful day with their pitch during high school, he wrote the idea off as a joke. However, in the back of his mind, he still was hoping…

Zach on the other hand had been forced in to making a choice between politics or law; those were the only options his father gave him. He had run the idea of being a graphics novelist by his parents, and they almost shot through the roof. He decided that politics was NOT for him, so he followed the path of corporate sellout. He and Summer had got together back in college, and had not since looked back.

Seth pulled up outside his apartment. It was a decent 3 bed roomed establishment overlooking Balboa Beach. He had been living there for close on 5 years with his best friend and brother, Ryan.

As he got out his car, he immediately recognized the blue and green pickup standing outside. Ryan was home, which was not unusual mind you. He normally only worked till noon on Fridays.

Seth walked up the stairs to the door, opened it and was greeted with the smell of freshly cooked chicken, mushrooms and pepperoni.

Ryan came walking through from the kitchen with a giant triangle-slice of pizza in his hand. "Just in time bro, delivery just arrived."

"Hey." Seth said, and put his briefcase down by the door. He walked to the kitchen; got himself the biggest piece he could find and walked back to the lounge where Ryan was sitting watching reruns of Malcolm In The Middle. Seth flopped down in the chair adjacent to Ryan's

"Hectic day at the office?" Ryan commented seeing Seth looking totally exhausted.

"Ever wondered what your life would have turned out like had you made other choices?" Seth asked in a philosophical kind of way.

Ryan didn't respond, just liked at Seth, raising his eye-brows.

"That wasn't a rhetorical question." Seth said. "I mean just think about it Ryan… What if Zach had not come back from Italy… that… I don't know… he decided to stay and support his family, or that he had maybe… just maybe… gone the route of a politician… I mean that was a 50/50… and he had had to move to say… New York, or DC… What then? Would Summer have gone with? Would she have stayed? If she had stayed, would the Seth/Summer super team have remained, or not… and if not, then who would she have fallen for? Would it have been someone new… Would I have fallen for someone new… would it…"

"Seth!" Ryan interjected… "You're rambling…"

"No, Ryan… Buddy… Don't you see it… we are all victims of our fate…"

"So… I'm taking it this has something to do with Zach and Summer's engagement?"

"No, you're missing it here… I'm perfectly fine with the Zach/Summer… en… en…"

"Engagement?" Ryan completed the word Seth could get out.

"Yes… I am totally fine with… … what you just said." Seth said taking another bite of his pizza.

Ryan also took a bite of his pizza. He had known Seth for the best part of ten years, and he knew that Seth was not fine with it.

"Well, my day wasn't all bad, either…" Ryan finally said, realizing that Seth wasn't gonna ask him. Although Seth had matured in some areas, there were still others that needed major work on; one of them being he's incestuous ramblings about himself.

"Ah, that's good, Ryan… I was going to ask…" Seth responded.

"Yeah, Trey and I landed this big time business deal that should put Atwood Brothers on the map."

After Trey came out of prison, he had found himself a minimum-wage job as a construction worker. From there he had built a base from which he could eventually start his own business. Ryan had studied to be an Economist funnily enough, but after college, Trey convinced him to go in to business, and thus the two of them set up Atwood Brothers Construction Contractors (ABCC). They basically specialized in training and placing construction workers, and contracting them out to big building companies, The Newport Group being one of their biggest clients.

"What's the plan for tonight?" Seth asked.

"Nothing… A quiet, uneventful night at home…" Ryan responded…

"Ah, hard day's labor… A little overworked for those tough Chino hands…" Seth retorted jokingly.

"Yes, and the fact that I need to go fetch Marissa from the airport at the crack of dawn…" Ryan replied.

Ryan and Seth continued to watch movies, joking with each other, and just enjoying each others company till late in to the night.


	2. The Returning

SATURDAY MORNING, 6:15AM

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

Ryan's alarm was going off. He slammed the snooze button, and dozed off again.

10 minutes later…

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

Again Ryan hit the snooze button, a little quicker to respond this time.

Another 10 minutes later…

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

This time he knew he couldn't sleep in anymore.

Very groggy, Ryan sat up in bed. He looked at the alarm clock radio that was the cause of him waking so early. 6:40 Am. He could hardly believe he was getting up this early on a Saturday.

Slowly he stood up and stretched. He then grabbed a towel from the cupboard and walked to the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later he emerged from the bathroom vigorously drying his hair. He put on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a shirt over. He sat down at the end of the bed, pulled on a pair of socks which he had got from the draw, and put on his shoes.

Saturday morning was normally a time when Ryan could sleep in. He didn't work on weekends, and all the lost sleep from during the week he'd catch up on Saturday.

However, this morning was different.

Ryan made his way downstairs towards the kitchen to grab a quick bit to eat. He needed to be at the airport in under an hour, so he could only have something on the run. He poured himself a quick cup of coffee and made himself a cream-cheese bagel. He wolfed down his breakfast and raced out to the airport, looking at his watch every 5 minutes to make sure he'd be there on time.

40 minutes later Ryan pulled up at the parking lot of the OC Airport. He was 10 minutes late, so he went straight to the terminal gate.

"I thought you had forgotten." Marissa commented and gave Ryan a hug.

"No, how could I forget you?" Ryan replied convincingly.

Marissa smiled at him, as he grabbed her bags. They made their way out the airport.

"So how was New York?" Ryan asked.

"Good. A bit too busy for my liking, but it was a good time. I understand now why they call it the city that never sleeps! The show went off without TOO many glitches, so I'm happy about that." Marissa responded with a smile.

Marissa had only completed one year in college, where she hooked up with an entertainment manager for Rock-On Entertainment International, Mr. Phillip Green. He had offered her a once-in-a-life-time job as an Events Coordinator, in which she would be responsible for organizing and arranging various concerts, live shows and other proceedings for assorted charity organizations. It required her to travel quite extensively from one end of the country to the other. She had been in New York for the past three weeks working on a rock concert event that was organized to raise funds for homeless children.

Marissa had been dating Phillip for almost a year; until she found out he was actually married and broke it off with him about 4 months ago. Ryan had not been in any serious relationship since high school. He had had a few short-term hook-ups that lasted no longer than a few months, his most recent being the longest and that only being 5 months. Ryan and Marissa had not got back together at all after the whole Oliver story, however over the years, they had developed a pretty decent friendship.

"So, you want some breakfast?" Marissa said looking at her watch.

"Sure…" Ryan responded.

The two of them made their way over to a coffee shop located just outside the airport. They sat down and spoke for hours catching up on lost time.

ZACH & SUMMER'S PLACE

Summer had got herself a not-so-dreamy job as an executive secretary for a large investment company. It's wasn't exactly what she had in mind as a career preference, but it was fine for now, and she really saw it as just a stepping stone for greater things to come. In college she had studied to be a fashion consultant wanted to be an international buyer for Fashion Island. Realizing that this dream wasn't going to materialize any time soon, she applied for the first 'okay' job she found in the paper, and got it.

She and Zach had been dating seriously for the past 3 years, and 7 days ago Zach had proposed to her.

Zach came walking in to the room with a cup of coffee. He put the coffee down on the night stand, then sat down at the end of Summer's side of the bed, and gently shook her awake. She turned over very sleepily, lifted her head slightly, and opened one eye to look at the bed-side clock.

It read 8:29.

She dropped her head back down on the pillow.

"Zach… it's still early…" Summer grumbled.

Zach ran his hand through her hair. "Sweetie… you need to get up now, or else we'll be late for our appointment."

"What appointment?" Summer mumbled.

"The one I scheduled with a marriage counselor."

This got Summer's attention, and she turned over on her back and opened her eyes. "You scheduled us a session with a marriage counselor?" Summer was shocked.

"Actually, I scheduled five, and technically he's a pastor, but he is a qualified marriage consultant too."

"What? Zach! You can't just go doing that and not let me know…" Summer was a bit annoyed, and she now sat up in bed.

"But… I mentioned it to you the day before yesterday… remember?"

"No you didn't! Trust me, I'd remember something like that…"

"No… If I recall, I still mentioned it to you when you phoned me to say you'd be home late the other night."

"Oh… right…" Summer realized he was correct. It was a busy day, but she can vaguely recall something like that.

"Um, but is it really necessary… I mean… we're not even married yet, and we're already going for counseling… that can't be good…"

Zach laughed. "No, it's not like that. It's more like PREPARATION for marriage. I guess 'counseling is a bit misleading… it's not like… tips."

"Tips hey? Sounds… interesting." Summer said with her cute half-smile.

"Well, I'm going downstairs to finish cooking breakfast." And with that Zach got up and kissed Summer on the lips.

"Oh, Zach…" Summer called as he was leaving the room. He turned around. "The next four, could you schedule them a little later… say after lunch!"

Zach smiled, "Sure." He turned and left the room.

Summer sat up and slowly swung her legs over the edge of the bed. For the first time she began to wonder about this engagement, but she just brushed it off as her first fear of the unknown.


	3. The Tension

SATURDAY MID-MORNING

Zach and Summer's first marriage counseling session was drawing to an end. The room was a quaint, smallish office with a desk, a couch, and two formal, office-like chairs. The blinds were drawn shut, giving the pastor's office a sort of dull appearance.

Zach and Summer were sitting on the couch, and the pastor had taken up a seat right opposite them.

Summer had been quite surprised with all the detail and involvement and potential conflicts a marriage can go through. She knew it wasn't plain sailing all the way, especially with her family background, but she wasn't aware that all the little nit-pick things could cause such big problems.

"So, Summer, if Zach were to leave the toilet seat up, how would you react to that?" The pastor questioned.

"I'd kick his ass all the way back to the bathroom and make sure he put it down!" Summer responded strongly.

The pastor just sat back in his chair… a look of shock and horror on his face, as he slowly put his hand up over his mouth. Zach sat next to Summer looking a bit embarrassed. Summer just sat there wondering what she had done, as an uneasy silence filled the room.

She eventually leaned in closer to Zach, and whispered softly, "What… Did I do?"

"You said 'ass'," Zach whispered back softly.

"Oh, oh… um… I'm so sorry… I didn't realize…" Summer tried to apologize.

"Never mind," The pastor said forgivingly, "I'd like to request though that you kindly refrain from using such language during our future sessions."

"Oh, yes… absolutely, your highness… I mean… eminence… I mean… Bishop?" Summer was really feeling quite uncomfortable now.

"Pastor will do," he said gently with a smile. He stood up and walked behind his desk. He opened the top right-hand draw and pulled out an A4 piece of paper.

"I think we're done for today, but before you leave, would you be so kind as to fill in your particulars on this form?" He handed them each a sheet of paper. Zach and Summer quickly scribbled down their details and handed the forms back to him.

The pastor took the forms from them, and Zach and Summer stood up to leave. As they were heading for the door, the pastor spoke up.

"Is this correct? You have both put down the same residential address."

"Yes, we share an apartment just down the street." Zach answered.

"Hmmm, interesting…"

"Why… is there a problem?"

"No, well… I should have probably covered this in the beginning, but I usually warn my congregation that living together before you are married is not ideal. I mean, the temptations, particularly in the sexual area, are insurmountable. Sex outside of marriage is… well… against God."

"Well, no problem with that here…" Summer said under her breath.

"Sorry, miss, what was that?" The pastor questioned.

"No, um, nothing." Summer responded uneasily.

"Oh, no…" Zach said and he puts his arm around Summer shoulders. "We've decided we'd like to remain pure until our wedding day."

Summer wondered when the 'we' part entered that decision.

"Alright then. I'll leave it at that. You both seem like nice, responsible people; I'm sure you'll make the right decisions for yourselves."

"Ok, thanks." Zach said, not so sure though. "We'll see you next week?"

"Thursday evening, 7pm." The pastor responded, and Zach and Summer walked out.

THE BBQ AT SUMMER AND ZACH'S

It was late in the afternoon, around 4pm and most of the people who had been invited to the party were already there. It really was supposed to just be a small gathering of friends to welcome Marissa back, but also a celebration of Summer and Zach's engagement.

Ryan and Marissa had pretty much spent most of the day together, and had come to the party together. Seth came on his own, although he wasn't too sure why he was there – celebrating the union of his dream girl with another guy is not exactly his idea of a celebration.

The older folks had been invited out of courtesy, but had not yet arrived.

Zach and Summer's place was a large apartment with an entertainment room which had a bar and a pool table in it. The room led out on to an open balcony overlooking Newport Harbor.

The guys were standing around the bar area with drinks in hand talking about general stuff.

"So Zach, congrats man, you finally plucked up the courage to pop the question." Ryan said in congratulations.

"Yeah, wasn't easy… Summer can be a bit unforgiving at times…" Zach responded.

"Well, let me be the first to say… good luck!" Seth chirped in.

"Hey thanks man… I may just need that…"

"Why? She's ALREADY trying to control you?"

"Naw, it's just…" Zach started, and was about to explain the disaster at the marriage counseling that morning. "… Nothing we can't work out."

Summer and Marissa were sitting in the living room looking over Vogue magazines.

"So tell me about your NY trip?" Summer asked.

"It was awesome… met some famous people, got a few autographs, but nothing as exciting as getting engaged or anything…" Marissa said jovially. "Tell me about THAT. I leave, and three weeks later come back and find my best friend is getting married!"

"Yeah, well, don't get too happy about that…" Summer said taking a sip of her drink.

"Oh, gossip… do tell…" Marissa said eagerly taking a drink of her own.

"Coop! You are so getting like your mom!" Summer said jokingly.

"Oh please… don't remind me… So, what's happening?"

"Well, let's just say I might be living on my own for the next few months…"

Marissa just looked at her and raised her eyebrows.

"We went to a marriage counselor this morning… Zach is in to this whole… 'I wanna do this thing right' crap. Anyway, as we were leaving, the Rabbi, or Bishop or whatever, gave us a lecture about living together and the temptations of 'sex before marriage'."

"Well, that's interesting… and admirable that Zach wants to do it right… I guess."

"That man has not an ounce of desire in him to BE tempted."

"What you saying?"

"Coop! I haven't had any in over 8 years!"

"What!" Marissa exclaimed, almost choking on her drink.

"8 YEARS! Coop… I dunno if any of this even works anymore!" Summer said sort of gesturing towards her female area.

"But you still love him right?" Marissa said questioningly.

"Define 'love'?" Summer said avoiding having to answer the question.

Back at the bar, Zach had started opening up to Seth and Ryan… a little too much maybe.

"So I think Summer is a little upset." Zach finished.

"Well, man… you did kinda say you wanted to move out… that's not exactly sending the right signals 3 months before the weeding date." Seth said sarcastically.

"Well, where do you expect to go?" Ryan asked.

"I was getting to that…" Zach started, "I know you guys… you have like an extra room, right? And…"

Ryan and Seth looked at each other. "Oh, um… don't you think that'll be a little awkward with Seth around and all… you know the past…" Ryan asked uneasily.

"It'll only be for a few months, nothing serious, and I'll really only sleep there… I'll still eat here get my washing done here…" Zach began to convince them.

Ryan and Seth just looked at each other. For once, Seth didn't know what to say.


	4. The Change

SATURDAY NIGHT, SETH & RYAN'S PLACE

12:45AM and the party was over. Seth and Ryan had just pulled up in to the drive way, with Zach trailing close behind.

They entered the house, Zach carrying a sports bag with some of his clothes in it.

"You can take the guest room… second door on the right." Ryan directed Zach.

"Thanks. And guys don't worry… you won't even know I'm here." Zach responded gratefully.

"Sure thing man, what are friends for?" Seth stated.

"Well, I'm just gonna go and unpack my stuff." Zach headed off towards his new room.

Seth and Ryan flopped down on the couch in the living, exhausted. This was the place they'd usually sit and discuss the events of the day.

"So, it's been a while since we've been able to get some quality Seth/Ryan time in. What's your take on all this…? Zach/Summer union… or disunion… You think as a result the door is now open just enough for me to slip my foot in?"

"No." Ryan responded firmly.

"Ok, good, that's what I was thinking… just needed to make sure we're on the same page."

There was a moment's silence before Seth spoke again.

"But are you sure? I mean, it does seem a bit of a waste to let such an opportunity go begging…" Seth was cut off.

"Yes, I'm sure. Remember last time you got in the way? It was a disaster."

Oh, so by 'disaster' you mean… we got back together?"

"Yeah, and then only to break up again, 'cause you though Anna coming to the same college was an 'opportunity' for you to force her and Summer to be friends."

"I wasn't forcing… I was… directing…"

"Well you DIRECTED Summer right out the picture."

Just then Zach came walking through. He sat down on the couch right in the middle between Ryan and Seth.

"So, what we're talking about?" Zach said.

"Nothing. The weather." Seth responded.

"Ah, cool." Zach replied. "Listen you guys; I just want you to know how much I appreciate you being so cool about this. I mean, especially for you Seth, it must be difficult not to want to jump in and just get involved and all. I think it's great for a guy to have friends like you."

"'Jump in' that's funny… yeah… no problem man. Glad to help." Seth responded, almost a little too eager.

Zach got up. "Guys, I think I'll head off to bed, but it's been good, and thanks again."

He stood up and started walking out the room. Suddenly he stopped and turned around, looking straight at Seth.

"Do you think I've made the right choice? I mean, I want to do this the right way, but I don't know if Summer will see it that way. Seth, you've known her the longest, how do you think she'll take it?"

"Um… I…" Seth hesitated, and then finally answered. "She'll think it's great that you have such strong beliefs dude, yeah…"

Zach left the room.

"Looks like out Seth/Ryan time has been invaded by the Zach attack. Seth/Ryan/Zach time… Just doesn't quite have the same ring to it." Seth said sarcastically.

… and with that Ryan's phone rang.

"Still getting those 1am calls buddy!" Seth said jokingly and got up to leave. "I'll give you some privacy."

BACK AT SUMMER'S PLACE NOW…

"I hate it, Coop!" Summer exclaimed as she prepared the guest bed. "I mean, I get how he wants to 'do this the right way' or whatever, but he needs to decide what the hell he wants. You know… Cohen… even with all his flaws and little faults and non-stop annoying babbling would NEVER have pulled a lame-ass stunt like this! If he wants out, then he must just stand up, be a man and say so, but don't go hiding behind some crappy reason like 'the right thing to do.' "

"Ok… angry sum?" Marissa said sarcastically.

"Angry, angry? No, I'm not angry… Rage blackout, yes…" Summer paused. "Did I mention that we haven't had sex in nearly 8 years?"

"Yes, several times."

"Apparently did you know that it's 'against God'?"

Summer sat down on the bed, dejected and feeling a little rejected. Marissa came and sat down next to her. There was a long silence before any one of them spoke.

"Maybe you should just get some rest." Marissa eventually said. "Well hit East Coast Mall in the morning… A little shopping normally does the trick for me!"

"Yeah, you probably right… it's quite late."

And with that Summer got up to leave the room.

"And Coop… Thanks… for being there… or here for me."

"Sure Sum… What are friends for right?"

Summer left the room, and Marissa flopped down on the bed. She spent a good hour trying to fall asleep thinking about Summer and how she was feeling hurt with Zach's decision to move out. But also, she was thinking how amazing it was that everything was so different.

Years back at school this is NOT how she thought things would have been for them at 25. Her and Ryan, Summer and Seth… the fantastic four were supposed to always be fantastic.

"Times change I guess." Marissa thought to herself.

Suddenly Marissa had an idea. Times change, but some things stay the same.

"He should still be up." She thought and started dialing the number.

"Hey." Ryan answered.

"Hey. Sorry for calling so late… or so early… just got a bit tired of Summer going on about Zach this and Zach that…"

"Yeah, know what you mean… Seth and Zach in the same house is not much fun either."

"So, wanna do breakfast tomorrow?"

"Breakfast might be pushing it… it is 1am…"

"Good point…"

"But we can do lunch."

"Lunch is on… Bait Shop?

"Sounds good."

"Ok. Good night."

"Night."

And with that Marissa turned over and fell asleep.


	5. The Plumbing

SUNDAY AFTERNOON, THE BAIT SHOP

Ryan, and for that matter, Marissa woke up quite late Sunday morning… around 11am. They had been extremely tired from the party the night before. After a refreshing shower and shave, Ryan fetched Marissa and the two of them went over to the Bait Shop as they had arranged the night before.

Ryan pulled the car up in the lot.

"Strange there are so few cars here." Marissa observed.

"Yeah." Ryan agreed, puzzled.

They both got out the car and walked up to the entrance. As they got closer, they saw a roughly scribbled sign on the door: "CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE."

"Wow that was unexpected." Marissa said.

"Yeh… the place seemed to be doing well."

"Wonder what happened, I mean it had been open for almost seven years now…"

"Well, you wanna go down to the pier then? There's sure to be places open there."

"Ok, but this time… I'm driving!"

Marissa grabbed the keys out Ryan's hand and ran to the car. Ryan raced behind her and grabbed her around the waist and playfully swung her around. As he did, their eyes caught each other's and for the first time in a long while, they just stood and gazed at each other. It seemed like they were lost from time and space, but it was mere seconds. What they felt now, was a feeling neither of them had experienced in over 8 years.

"um… you know… I just remembered I have something to take care of before a business meeting tomorrow, and…" Ryan eventually said feeling a bit uneasy, nervous and unsure.

"Ryan… We're not kids anymore… Besides, I'm even hungrier now than ever!" Marissa replied acting as though nothing had just happened.

She climbed in the driver's side and Ryan the passenger's.

BACK AT SETH AND RYAN (AND NOW ZACH'S PLACE)

It was a warm day in Orange County, so the aircon was on, and the blinds drawn shut to try and minimize the incoming light.

Seth was sitting in his study looking very intense and involved in what he was doing on the computer.

"What's that…! Ah, man… I DIDN'T press THAT button!" Seth was annoyed.

Just then Zach walked in.

"Oh, uhh… sorry didn't mean…"

"Oh, hey man… what's up?" Seth swiveled his chair around to face Zach.

"I noticed that we are out of a few supplies, and I thought I'd run down to the shop and pick up some stuff…"

"Sure. Be my guest…Well, you ARE my guest… I guess…"

"Yeah… except I've left my wallet at home…"

"Oh.. uh…" Seth took out his wallet, opened it and removed a few notes from it and handed it to Zach. "I'll just add your cut to the rent…"

"Thanks man. See you in a while."

Zach left and Seth got back to his computer game.

A few minutes later, Seth heard the sound of a cell phone ringing, but he knew it was not his, and he normally recognized Ryan's ring tone. He got up and followed the sound of the tone until he found the phone in the kitchen on the counter next to the fridge.

"Must be Zach's," Seth thought.

He opened it and noticed the caller ID… it was Summer.

He answered.

"Hey."

"Oh, um… Cohen?… What have you done with my fiancé?" Summer sounded flustered.

"Afternoon to you too Summer…"

"Agh… no time for games, Cohen, where is Zach?"

"He went to the store to get some supplies…"

"Oh, so now you've made him your little bitch?"

"Exactly."

"Well, how long is he going to be?"

"I dunno… an hour or so…"

"AN HOUR! I CAN'T WAIT AN HOUR… Where's Ryan?"

"Out with Marissa…"

"Damn… ok, you'll have to do… Cohen, I need you, now!"

"Ah, Summer… all you needed to do was ask… but how are we going to break the news to Zach? I mean he will be heart broken, and the ring… it did kinda cost him a bit… and the wedding… Oh my God… all those people will be so disappointed…"

"Don't be a smartass. It's an emergency, just get here…" And with that Summer ended the call.

SUMMER'S PLACE, 45 MINUTES LATER.

Seth had arrived and Summer had taken him in to the bathroom.

"So this is your emergency? This is why you called me over here… for a toilet that won't flush? You want me, a Jewish boy from Newport, to open the top and look in your bowl?" Seth said in disbelief.

"Don't be a smartass Cohen… just tell me, can you fix it or not? There's been a problem with the plumbing in this place for years…"

"Well, let's see…"

Seth walked over to the toilet, lifted the top and looked inside. Summer was standing a bit behind him.

"Can't see anything messed up… maybe if I pull this…" Seth tugged at a chain, and suddenly a surge of water came gushing out, and up in his face. He jumped back, knocking Summer over, and fell face down on top of her.

Just then they heard the front door open and Zach walking down the passage.

"Sum… you here? Cohen? I saw your..." Zach stopped dead in mid-sentence as he walked in to the bathroom, which was now virtually covered in water, and saw Seth lying on top of Summer.

"Oh, hey Zach…" Seth said, and quickly jumped up. Summer struggled to her feet too, Seth not offering to help her up.

"Wha... what's going on here?" Zach asked with a concerned and confused look.

"It's… not what it appears…" Summer responded.

"Yeah… I'm just here to fix Summer's plumbing problem…" Seth stopped, realizing what he had just said was pretty ambiguous… "I mean… her pipes…" He was digging a whole for himself… Summer knew she had to jump in.

"I asked him to come and sort out the toilet… It wasn't flushing."

"Ah, I see… And you couldn't call a plumber for that?"

"No plumber available… Sunday…" Seth said kinda embarrassed.

By this time the water had stopped gushing. Zach reached over to the toilet, and flushed it successfully.

"Well, look at that!" Summer exclaimed. "It looks like my pipes, the pipes… have been fixed."

"Yeah, fancy that." Zach said unconvinced.

He turned to Seth, "I'm gonna stay here for lunch and the rest of the afternoon… These are your supplies." He handed a bag to Seth. "See you tonight?"

"Yeah, sure… and thanks for this." Seth responded thanking him for the groceries. He turned and left the bathroom.

"Cohen! Thanks for the plumbing." Summer shouted back after him.


	6. The working hours

THREE WEEKS LATER

It's three weeks on.

Zach has settled in with Seth and Ryan and the three of them have come to some sort of agreement with living arrangements. Ryan would take out the trash every Monday, and Zach got it on Thursdays.

The three of them clubbed together and got a housekeeper to take care of the cleaning, washing dishes, making beds, and general upkeep of the apartment. Seth was pretty much the self-appointed "supervisor" of the house.

Summer had finally accepted that Zach was serious about this being apart thing until they got married. She wasn't happy with it, but reasoned that she had waited eight years, what's another eight weeks right? Well, not really, but she was trying. She and Zach had already been to two other counseling sessions, and it was going okay. Summer had asked Marissa to stay with her while Zach was on "celibacy leave" as Summer termed it.

Marissa was only too happy to move in with her friend, especially given that she stayed in her own place, and knew how lonely that could feel sometimes. However, Marissa was preparing for a business trip to San Francisco in a week's time, and would be away for about a month. Summer again would be alone.

It was Thursday evening. The McNab trial was almost over, and it was now down to the closing arguments which Seth and Zach would be delivering in the morning.

Zach generally had a better track record than Seth at winning cases, but this was the first time the two of them were up against each other, so they were both taking extra time in preparing their closings, and thus were both working later than usual. Although they were good friends, and both great lawyers, they were still both very competitive; Seth a little bit more so perhaps than Zach, but he was also a little bit more hot-headed. Zach's and general 'I-have-it-all-together' manner had often helped him win over many a juror. Seth was always a little more indifferent, while at the same time dogmatic, which often made him come across as unprepared. Seth knew he would have to remain calm and not go off on a tangent… he needed to keep the court engaged throughout his closing.

ZACH'S OFFICE

Zach sat in his office typing away rapidly on the keyboard. His closing was barely half way through, and in less than 12 hours he'd be delivering it in court.

The door opened.

"Mr. Stevens… working late?"

Zach looked up from the screen to see his secretary standing with the door half-open. "Oh, hey Jan, yeah… big closing tomorrow."

"Ok, well, I'm off… you've the last one here…"

"Thanks enjoy your evening."

And with that Janice closed the door and Zach got back to his closing.

But it wasn't five minutes later, and there was another knock on the door. The door opened and in walked an extremely good looking lady. She could well be Cosmo's model of year. She was tall, tanned, with long blonde hair and striking blue eyes. Although she could have been about middle age, she didn't look a day over thirty.

Zach could hardly believe his eyes. She was as beautiful as he had remembered her so many years ago. He stood up to greet her.

"Abby… wow… I haven't seen you… in years… to what do I owe the pleasure?"

But she didn't answer. All she did was break down in tears.

RYAN, SETH AND ZACH'S PLACE

Over at the house, Ryan and Trey were working on the final plans for a proposal for one of the biggest business meetings of their lives. Friday morning, 9am was going to see them in the boardroom with a team of Orange County's most high-powered executives and businessmen. They were coming to witness what Atwood Construction Training (ACT) could do. This meeting was a make-or-break one for them. Although the business was doing okay, it had suffered some financial set-backs the last few months, and was facing having to down-scale unless one of these guys bought in to it. Trey had been handling some private business deals to keep the business afloat, but it wasn't always on the up, and he kept the details of it very secretive; even Ryan had no idea about them.

Ryan and Trey were probably going to be working through the night to put a presentation together to sell to these guys. They were in the dining room, and papers were spread out all over the table and floor. Both brothers looked exhausted.

"Ok, little bro, one more time I've got it… I'm going to go over the architecture and previous successes, and you are going to do the business plan and prolonged finance thingies for the next 5 years?"

"PROJECTED Financial Statements for the next 5 years, yes." Ryan corrected his brother.

"Man, I need a break." And with that Trey lit up a cigarette.

Ryan was about to ask him to smoke it outside, when the doorbell rang. He got up and went to answer it.

"Hey Ryan…"

"Hey Summer… Wanna come in?"

Ryan stepped aside and let Summer in. She walked to the living room. Ryan closed the door and followed her.

"Hey Trey." Summer greeted.

"Yo."

"Um… is Zach here?"

"No, sorry… he and Seth are both working late…" Ryan looked at his watch. "But they shouldn't be too late… Well, Seth anyway, he needs his sleep."

"Tell me about it."

"You can wait if you like… Got some fresh coffee still and chances are with this presentation I'm gonna be up all night…"

"Well… I was actually kinda hoping you and I could talk… but if you're busy…"

"Oh, sure… no, I need to get a breather." Ryan looked over his shoulder at Trey.

Trey got the hint. "Uh… I'm gonna take a walk to the store… this coffee you got here is week bro, gonna get us some espresso…"

"Make that one for me too…" Summer added.

Trey left and Ryan and Summer sat down on the couch.

"So what's up?"

"Have you ever made a decision on something like totally convinced that it is the right one, only to later find that there's a possibility you could be wrong, but realize its too late to change it, or if you do then it's gonna affect a whole lot of people other than yourself and badly at that, and then thought, 'hmmm how do I get out of this one' but realize you can't because it's gonna affect a whole lot of people other than yourself... and badly… and… and I'm repeating myself…"

"Yup."

"Yup what? Yup I'm repeating myself, or yup, you know what I'm talking about…"

"Yup… repeating yourself… no idea what you are talking about…"

Summer just sits there, Ryan speaks up. "But I'm guessing this has something to do with Zach?"

"Yes! Exactly… You could make that out from all my ramblings?"

"Living with Seth teaches you to read between the lines…"

"Ah… Cohen… jackass… if it weren't for him, my life would probably be so much simpler…"

"… or not… If you want my advice, I think the solution is a lot simpler than you think. 'You can't ride two horses with one ass' I believe those were YOUR words."

Summer smiled. "The Chinese always know just how to say it right, don't they."

"Yup."

The front door opened, and in walked Trey with the espressos.

Summer stood up. "I think I'll be on my way. Ryan… thanks for the advice…"

Ryan walked Summer to the door. "Pleasure… and Sum… If ever you need an ear…"

"Thanks Ryan." She gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek and left.


	7. The AWOLs

FRIDAY MORNING, ATWOOD CONSTRUCTION TRAINING

Ryan had just entered his building. It was 7:45am, and the meeting was just over an hour away. He was dressed in a black three-piece suit, tie and all, with a white shirt.

"Morning Mr. Atwood." Fey, Ryan's private secretary greeted him warmly.

"Morning." Ryan said as he walked past.

"Would you like some coffee sir?"

"Yes… strong, 3 sugars." Ryan wasn't being rude; he just had a lot on his mind. He knew this day was going to be the most important of his company's history.

He entered his office, sat down behind his desk and booted up the computer. A few minutes later Fey brought him his coffee.

"Thanks Fey. Please call me when my brother gets in."

"Sure thing Mr. Atwood." She turned to leave, then stopped and turned to face Ryan again.

"Oh, one other thing sir… Early this morning… about 7:20am… a man phoned here looking for you… asked for you by name… He didn't sound very friendly."

Oh… ur… did he say what he wanted?"

No, just asked for Mr. Atwood."

Ryan sighed. Fey wasn't the brightest bulb in the building. "Fey, there are two of us. Did he say WHICH Mr. Atwood he wanted to speak to?"

"Oh… um, no… sorry, forgot to ask. But he said he'd phone back later."

"Ok, thanks."

COURTHOUSE

Over at the courthouse, Seth was at the desk waiting for proceedings to begin. Zach had not yet arrived, it was 8:15am, the case we scheduled to begin at 8am sharp, and the judge was becoming impatient.

"Mr. Cohen, any idea where you opposing counselor might be?" The judged asked.

"Not a clue."

Seth was telling the truth. Zach had got in really late the night before, and left really early while everyone was still fast asleep.

"If he is not here within 30 minutes I'll have no choice but to call a mistrial and hold him in contempt." The judge stipulated.

Seth got up.

"And where are you going?" The judge questioned Seth.

"Uh… bathroom…"

Seth quickly exited through the doors at the back. He walked down the passage and around the corner. He whipped out his cell phone and started dialing Zach's number.

It rang and rang, and eventually went to voicemail.

"Hi. Zach here, sorry, can't take your call… leave a message."

"Zach… dude… you are due in court…" Seth looked at his watch, "20 minutes ago… call me."

Seth closed his phone and sighed. He opened it again, and selected another number from his phone book.

OVER AT SUMMER'S OFFICE

"No, Mr. Burnstein is not in yet, and will only be back at 11am…" Summer sounded frustrated.

She waited as the other person spoke.

"No! I said already… He CANNOT be disturbed… 11am… yes… Good bye." Summer slammed the phone down.

"God, some people…"

Just then her cell phone rang.

"Can see this is gonna be a crap day." Summer said as she looked at the caller ID.

"Yeah… what?"

"Hey Summer… Nice to hear your voice too…"

"Cut the crap, Cohen… no time for idle chit-chat…"

"Well, believe it or not, that is not why I'm calling… I was just wondering if Zach had perhaps come by your place last night, cause he's not here and…"

"No…… he's doing the celery thing…"

"he's doing the CELIBACY thing you mean…"

"Whatever, right now he ain't DOING ANYTHING."

Seth ended the phone call and walked back in the court house.

A COFFEE SHOP ON NEWPORT'S PIER

Zach and Abby were sitting at a table in the coffee shop having pancakes and coffee. Zach was munching on a stick of celery.

"So Abby… it's been… what… 8… 10 years?"

"More like 12, Zachary." Abby responded in a bit of a flirty way. "Those were the good ol' days… just you and me…"

"I was 14… you were 30."

"Glad to see those math lessons have paid off." Abby smiled and took a sip of her coffee.

"So, what brings you to Newport… or particularly, what brings you to me?"

Abby's expression changed in an instant from one of delight to grim. "I need your help. I heard you had become this successful lawyer…"

Zach now sipped on his coffee. "I'm a prosecutor."

"All I need is some advice. My husband… soon to be ex… wants to fight me in court for custody of the kids, they are only 14 and 15 respectively and are at a very vulnerable stage…" She started crying.

Zach pulled a napkin from the dispenser on the table and handed it to her.

"Thanks." She took a while to compose herself. "I need to know what chance I have."

"Well, it all depends on the grounds for divorce. Did he sleep around… did you? Are you divorcing him, or is he…"

Zach stopped in mid-sentence as his eye caught the clock just above the counter. It read 8:45.

"OH MY GOD! THE TRIAL… I AM LATE!" He jumped up, threw down some notes to pay for the breakfast. "Abby, we'll have to take this up some other time. Call me?"

"Oh… uh…"

But before she could protest, he had left.

ATWOOD CONSTRUCTION TRAINING

All the guests were beginning to arrive. Ryan and Fey was standing in the foyer greeting the prospective investors. It was 8:55 and Trey had not yet arrived.

Ryan leant in to his secretary who was standing next to him.

"My brother hasn't called, has he?"

"No, haven't heard a thing."

"Wonder where the hell he is… he better show…"

"Well, you were probably the last person who saw him… what did you guys do?"

"Nothing, just work on the proposal, and at around 2am he went home."

Ryan looked at his watch again for probably the 50th time that morning. He could see the investors were getting fidgety. "Wasn't this meeting supposed to start at 9?" He heard one of them say.

"Ok, I'm gonna have to wing it… can't wait any longer." Ryan said to Fey.

Ryan walked to the entrance of the boardroom. "Hey, everyone. Good morning! Right this way please, we're about to get started."

Ryan directed the investors in to the boardroom, and turned to Fey… "If Trey calls let me know."

COURTHOUSE

Back at court, Zach had still not shown up. It was now 8:55am.

"Right, I have no choice but to call this a mistrial, and hold Mr. Stephens in contempt. Bailiff, please arrange for Mr. Stephens' arrest."

And with that the judge lifted his gavel.


	8. The Missing

ATWOOD CONSTRUCTION TRAINERS

10:15am, Friday morning.

For all intents and purposes, the meeting was going well. Trey had not shown up, and thus Ryan was left to wing it on his own. Ryan felt a lot more at ease when someone he hadn't seen in ages was there as one of the prospective investors.

Kirsten Cohen had come along to represent the Newport Group in place of its CEO Julie Cooper-Nichol who was on vacation yet again in Paris. Caleb had resigned from the company, and just remained as a silent partner, a financial backing so to speak. He was away with Julie in Paris.

There were 6 investment companies represented in the meeting, and by the looks on the faces of the representatives, Ryan was making a good impression.

"The purpose of Atwood Construction Trainers is to train and then place skilled construction workers in multi-facetted developments."

"In terms of multi-facetted… could you possibly elaborate on that?" One of the investors queried.

"Certainly. We plan on assisting in developments from free-standing homes to apartment buildings; from shopping malls to large towering office blocks, and even monument buildings."

"I am aware that Atwood Construction Trainers is still very much in its infant stages, but what are the plans to broaden the horizon of ACT?" Another investor questioned.

"We have every intention of going big. 'Go big, or go home' as we like to say around here. We would like to expand nationally with offices in Texas and New York, and eventually branch out internationally to Europe and Australia."

His presentation was particularly impressive when he mentioned the company's intentions to go national and international.

A slide-show presentation showed ACT's fiscal budget, which had made some steady progression, but not enough for them to offer the training and support they so desperately wanted to give to Orange County.

"Well thank you everyone for your time. Please stay for some tea and coffee, and a CD and portfolio is available at our front desk of the details of this presentation and some more in depth information of the company." Ryan ended off the meeting and everyone applauded.

Ryan gathered his papers together where he was sitting at the head of the boardroom table. Kirsten walked up to him.

"That was not at all bad." Kirsten said with a smile. "Become quite the executive."

"Thanks. I was so nervous." Ryan replied.

"Well it didn't show, you did great, and I don't think I will have any problem in convincing the directors that you guys are a great investment for the Newport Group to consider."

Ryan and Kirsten walked out together.

"So where was your brother this morning, shouldn't he have been here for this?" Kirsten asked.

"Yeah, I don't know, he hasn't phoned, and…"

Ryan was cut off as two men dressed in black suits walked up to him where he and Kirsten were standing in the foyer.

"Mr. Atwood?" One of the men asked.

"Yes?" Ryan responded curiously.

"We need you to come with us please." The one man pulled out his badge and handed Ryan a card.

"FBI? What's this all about?" Ryan was puzzled and concerned at the same time.

They looked from Kirsten, and then back to Ryan. "I'm afraid we can't discuss this here, but everything will be explained back at the office."

Ryan looked at Kirsten with a look that she had seen in his eyes since the first day Sandy invited him home.

"Go. I'll call Sandy." Kirsten said supportively, and immediately got out her cell phone. Ryan left with the FBI.

HOLDING CELL AT THE COURTHOUSE

Zach had arrived just as the judge declared the case a mistrial and that Zach was now in contempt. He was placed in cuffs and lead down to the holding cell.

Zach was now behind bars, and Seth was trying to organize to get him out.

"Ok, so I spoke to the judge…" Seth began to say to Zach, who was looking quite miserable in his cell.

"Yeah, and?"

"… you'll have to spend the night here… he's pretty ticked off, and doesn't look like he's gonna budge…"

Zach hung his head in his hands. "Ah man… and Sunday his offices won't be open…"

"Dude, I don't want to be a pain and pry in to your personal… affairs, but why were you late? It's not like you man… son of a congressman, always on time for every class at school… never missed a single water polo practice… what's going on?"

Zach sighed. "I met with a potential client over breakfast and just sort of lost track of time…"

"A client? An hour or so before you are scheduled to give a closing in one of the biggest trials of your career, you decide to meeting with another client?" Seth was sarcastically unconvinced. "Not buying it man… What is he… a millionaire who promised to make you an offer you just cannot refuse? A friend of your father's who needs his name cleared before he runs in the next elections?"

"She…"

"She?"

"Abby… an old friend. We were friends from way back when I was like 14… I was working late last night, and she came to see me. She needed help with some custody case…"

"What? 14? Zach! The math tutor?"

"Yes, but Seth, you need to promise me, as much as I know you'd want to, you cannot mention a word of this to anyone, ok?"

"Okay, my lips are sealed…"

"Good… especially… SUMMER!" As Zach said that, Summer came walking down the corridor to the cell.

"How did she…" Zach looked at Seth who had a very guilty look on his face.

"I should have known you would run to her immediately…" Zach wasn't too impressed. Seth just hung his head in shame.

Summer walked up to the cell. Zach leaned his head against the bars with his two hands on the bars.

"Oh Zach…" Summer said sounding very sympathetic. She reached her hand in as though to lovingly place it on his cheek, but then at the last minute slapped him hard.

"OW!" Zach pulled back and rubbed his cheek. Seth stepped back too.

"How do you think my dad is going to react when I tell him my fiancé is an ex-con?" Summer said annoyed.

Zach didn't say anything.

"So? Start speaking… and for your sake, I hope this is a good story, 'cause if not, then that life insurance your parents took out on you is about to mature!"

"There's nothing to say…" Zach started explaining, and looked at Seth with a knowing glance. "I was late for my court appointment, and the judge just put me in contempt…"

"That's it? Zach Stephens, who was never once late for class, is now late for a court appearance… Has some of Seth and Ryan rubbed off on you?" Summer was unsure.

"That's it, really… I promise. It was a late night, and I just couldn't get up in time…" Zach said sounding convincing.

"… and the judge locks you up for that? As.s." Summer was now annoyed at the judge.

"Yeah, well, he's a pretty sticky guy…" Zach said relived that Summer was believing him. "But Seth has done some negotiating and I should be out on Monday…"

"You gotta spend the whole weekend in here?"

"Unfortunately the judge won't sign my release forms till then."

"Ok, come here…" Summer said flirting. Zach walked up to the bars again, and this time Summer gave him a kiss.

"Um… I'm just gonna go… and…" Seth was feeling a little uncomfortable, but just then his phone rang, which made it now his turn to feel relieved.

"Seth Cohen…" Seth answered the phone. There was a short silence as Seth listened.

"Ok, I'll be there in a bit." Seth closed the phone. "Ryan's at the FBI office… gotta go."


	9. The Arrests

FBI OFFICE

Ryan had been taken to the FBI office. He was sitting and waiting in the interrogation room. The room was grey with a small table in the middle and two chairs on opposite ends of the table. Sandy was there too as Ryan's lawyer.

"You have no idea what this is about?" Sandy enquired.

"Nothing…" Ryan replied, but got cut off as his phone started ringing. He took it out his pocket and saw the caller ID was Trey, but as he was about to answer it, the door opened, and he cancelled the call.

In walked a man who turned out to be an FBI agent assigned to the case. He wore long black pants with a white shirt, no tie. His top two buttons were undone. He sat down at the table without greeting Ryan and Sandy, and opened a flip-file and started paging through the report.

This happened for about 5 minutes with the agent paging thru the report, saying nothing.

"Could we try and hurry this along… my client is very busy, as am I." Sandy eventually said trying to get a response out of the agent. The agent just looked up once, expressionless, and continued to work his way through the report.

Eventually he spoke up. "You are… Ryan Atwood?"

"Yes."

"… and Trey is…"

"My brother…"

"Ah…"

The agent continued to page through the report, and finally closed the file. He leaned on the table; both arms folded on top of the report, and looked at Ryan.

"Do you have any idea about the business your brother is in?"

"Yes, him and I run a construction business…"

"Not that kind of business…"

"Sir, I don't mean to be rude, but I can assure you that my client knows nothing of what you are talking about… Would you care to explain it to us?"

"Certainly." The agent said sarcastically, and stood up and started pacing the room.

"Your brother, Trey, has been transporting illegal artifacts back and forth across the Mexican boarder. It is our belief that he has been using funds and resources from your company, Atwood Construction Trainers. We have been investigating him for the past 5 years."

"5 Years!" Ryan exclaimed unbelievingly.

"Do you have any evidence of this other than speculation?" Sandy questioned calmly.

"We are in the process of putting a case together…" The agent began to explain, but was cut off my Sandy.

"So that's it? That is your whole horse and pony show? His brother may or may not be involved in a case that you are not sure about yet? You drag my client out of his office for this?" Sandy said in disgust, and stood up.

"Come Ryan." Sandy said, and Ryan got up to. "You will be hearing from me when I file a case of false arrest."

"Mr. Atwood!" The agent shouted, angrily… "Any idea where you brother could be now?"

"No…" Ryan started answering, but Sandy butted in.

"We have nothing to say. Call us again when you actually HAVE a case."

"Ok, but I think you may find this interesting…" The agent handed Ryan a letter, which Sandy took.

"What's this?" Sandy asked quizzically.

"A warrant to freeze all ACT's fixed and liquid assets"

Ryan and Sandy both looked at each other very grimly; the agent had a smirk on his face. They said nothing, just turned and left.

SATURDAY EVENING, COHEN'S PLACE

It was a big reunion of the family, with a few additions. Kirsten and Sandy decided to invite Seth and Ryan over, and since Summer and Marissa had nothing to do, they came along too.

The Cohen residence was as inviting and as homely as it was ten years earlier. The house itself had not changed a bit.

Sandy and Kirsten's marriage was as strong as it had always been. Apart from a few bumpy moments, they had what you might want to call the perfect marriage.

The group of six was sitting around the table eating out of take-away boxes.

"So, what happens now?" Kirsten finally asked referring to Ryan's company.

"Well, not much. ACT is temporarily out of commission." Sandy answered. "I spent the whole morning trying to get that warrant squashed, but it was a no-go."

"So for ACT and all its employees that means…" Summer pushed, not so sure of the legal jargon.

"… They're screwed." Seth said putting it nicely.

"Thanks bro…" Ryan responded sarcastically.

"No it doesn't!" Marissa burst out. "I mean, surely it just means that the FBI will look through the books and registers and stuff and then once they're done you can open again, right?"

"That's if they find nothing." Sandy interjected.

"… yeah, but who do you think will want to invest in a company that has just been under investigation from the FBI?" Ryan said solemnly. "Face it, ACT is over."

That brought silence from the whole table. Even Seth didn't have a come back.

"Don't be so gloomy, I'm gonna still try and file for false arrest…" Sandy said trying to cheer Ryan up a bit.

"Yes, and I have a certain about of persuasion power with the Newport Group's directors…" Kirsten added.

"You haven't heard from Trey at all?" Marissa asked caringly.

"No…" Suddenly Ryan stopped and remembered the call from earlier that day when he was at the FBI office. He quickly stood up, took his phone out his pocket.

"Take the extension in the lounge…" Sandy offered realizing what Ryan was going to do.

Ryan went out to the room next door, and dialed Trey's number. It rang for a while, and then finally it was answered.

"Who is this?" Was the answer Ryan got from the other end, and it's not the answer he was expecting.

"Um… who are you?" Ryan replied.

Suddenly from the background on the phone Ryan could here someone shouting… "Hey Bro!… don't listen!…" And then the call got cut off.


	10. The call

COHEN'S HOUSE

"Trey? … TREY!" Ryan shouted in to the phone, but there was nothing, the call had been cut off.

He pressed the redial button and listened for it to ring, but it didn't. This time it just went straight to voicemail.

Ryan ended the call, and again redialed… voicemail.

Redial… voicemail.

Redial… voicemail.

He was becoming anxious now.

Ryan's shouting out Trey's name was heard by the group in the adjacent room, who quickly came through.

"Ryan? Everything okay?" Kirsten said with concern.

He didn't respond, he just kept pressing that redial button.

Kirsten looked at Sandy, Sandy looked at Kirsten. Marissa looked at Summer, Summer looked at Seth. Seth looked at Marissa and Summer, and then at his parents, and then just shrugged.

"Kid…" Sandy eventually walked up to Ryan and put his hand on his shoulder.

"It was Trey… I could hear him…" Ryan was deeply concerned, and it could be heard in his voice. Ryan turned around and looked at the others, who were looking concerned and confused.

"I… I think he's been kidnapped." Ryan eventually got out.

He proceeded to tell everyone what had happened.

Sandy took charge. "We need to call the FBI…"

"NO!" Ryan said fervently. "What if…"

"Kid… if Trey is in trouble, there is nothing you or I or any one of us here can do. At least the FBI may be able to track the call…" Sandy offered support. "Seth…"

"Already on it…" Seth said, as he flipped out his phone.

It was half an hour later and the FBI were there asking questions that Ryan really didn't know the answers too. It was almost as though Trey was living an entirely different life that Ryan knew nothing about, and he felt betrayed.

It was late before they eventually left.

"I'm not sure if the call is traceable, because I think the call actually needs to be active for us to trace it, but I'll find out from the technicians and let you know." The one FBI agent remarked.

They left, and the group flopped down on the couches in the lounge. Ryan was less intense than he was earlier, but he was clearly still upset. He and Trey didn't always get along in their earlier years, but as time went by they had matured and become quite a lot closer, especially with working in the business together.

"I think you guys should stay here tonight…" Sandy offered.

It was late, 1:15am to be precise, and no one really wanted to still drive home, so they were grateful for his offer.

"Ryan, the pool house is still yours for the taking. Marissa and Summer I hope you don't mind sharing the spare room, and Seth can take his room."

The group dispersed and headed off to their respective rooms.

COURTHOUSE HOLDING CELL

Zach was lying on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. It was the very first time he had been in lockup, and was rather nervous. Even though he was put in his own cell, it didn't supply much support. It was a cold night, the moon was hidden behind some clouds that had gathered, and were beginning to look very threatening. The covers were thin, which didn't supply Zach with much support in the warmth department.

Suddenly there was a rattling on the bars. "Stephens!" The guard called his name. "You have a visitor."

Zach sat up, and looked at the bars to see Abby looking back at him.

"Hey." Zach greeted.

"Hey. Heard you were alone tonight." Abby said with a smile.

Zach just smiled back.

COHEN'S HOUSE

It was now 3:45am, and Summer was lying awake in her bed in the spare room. She was not able to fall asleep. Thoughts of Zach being in lockup, Trey possibly being kidnapped, and what this would do to Ryan and the business was haunting her. Her thought patterns were even being plagued by Seth, which was happening more and more lately for some reason, and she was beginning to feel guilty about it. She was engaged, and here she was thinking about her ex while her fiancé was in jail.

She decided that sleep was something that was not going to happen to her tonight. She threw the covers off, and silently stepped over a sleeping Marissa on the floor. The room was dark, so she couldn't see well and accidentally bumped Marissa who just grumbled and turned over.

"Oops, sorry Coop." Summer whispered.

She made her way downstairs and in to the kitchen.

"I wonder what old people keep in their fridge for a late night snack." She thought as she entered the kitchen. However, she wasn't to find out by herself. Ryan was there, and was pouring himself a cup of coffee. As Summer entered, he turned around.

"Hey..." Summer said quietly, as to not wake anybody up. Ryan looked at the coffee and back at her, as if asking her if she wanted some without saying anything, Summer nodded her head.

Watching Ryan walk over to her, Summer fidgeted with her hands, waiting for that cup of instant energy to be transferred over to her.

"Couldn't sleep?" Ryan asked, motioning for them to go outside, leaving the house in its peacefulness. They both sat down on lawn chairs by the pool as crickets chirped and clouds covered the sky, with a few stars peeking out between them.

"Yeah, it's just… everything is, like, so messed up again. With my fiancé being in jail, your brother could be kidnapped, and your company is pretty much in the gutter..." Sighing, Summer looked at Ryan, who was staring out at the sky.

"Sometimes things have a way of evening out." Ryan replied, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket, calmly pulling one out. He saw a flash of something and looked at Summer, who had her hand out, wanting one. Ryan proceeded to light the cigarette with his lighter, using only one hand, which was a trick he picked up back in Chino.

They both took a drag of there cigarettes. Inhaling, and then letting the smoke out, slightly coughing. Then laughing at how weak there lungs are.

"I haven't smoked since I first came here, I forgot how much of a stress reliever this can be."

"Coop and I used to smoke back in the 8th grade. We thought we were so cool. She'd steal them from her mom's purse. I think they called them Newport's… which was kind of funny back then."

There was a moment of silence between the two.

"Summer, what exactly do you see in Zach?" Ryan questioned, hoping not to have stepped beyond any boundaries.

Summer then hesitated, looking Ryan in the eyes, "What do you mean what do I see in him? He's nice... and he treats me like royalty."

"That's the thing Summer. To me, he never seemed like your type."

"My type?" Summer asked, a little agitated.

"Yeah, you're type. You go from Seth to Danny to Zach. I don't really see a common ground between them. I thought you liked people who challenged you. Trust me, Zach has been living with me and Seth, and I have usually fallen asleep after five minutes of talking to him."

Summer turned her head slightly sideways just a bit, "Did Cohen put you up to this?"

Ryan glanced at her from his side view, "No. I'm talking to you as a friend of over eight years. I don't know if you love him, but I know that look when I see it, and you aren't happy at all. Would Seth make you happy? I have no clue. Would I? Once again, I don't know. But it just seems like you're going through with this wedding because you don't want to hurt Zach."

Deciding she wanted to go no further with this topic, Summer changed it abruptly.

"So what about Trey?"

Ryan was caught off guard with the question, "Trey?...I don't know what to think anymore. I mean, if he was lying this whole time, and doing that stuff behind my back, I'll probably never forgive him. But I guess I should expect it, every family member I've had has done something stupid like this."

Summer saw the emptiness in Ryan's eyes. He was disappointed--disappointed in himself for falling for Trey's "I'm not doing anything wrong" routine, and disappointed in Trey for possibly falling back into his crime filled ways.

Rain started to slowly drop its way down onto Summer and Ryan. And as it picked up, Ryan excused himself into the pool house, and they said there goodnights, both hoping to maybe catch some sleep as they listened to the constant pattering of rain hitting the roof of the household.


	11. The Bitch Returns

SUMMER'S PLACE

It was two weeks later, and the yearly monsoon has come and gone and left Southern California with its rays of sunshine again.

Trey had gone missing. Nothing new had come to light since the mysterious call Ryan made to his brother. The FBI had in the meantime shut ACT down and officially Ryan was now unemployed.

It was Thursday late afternoon, and Summer was preparing for their bi-weekly meeting with the marriage counselor. She was straightening out her hair in front of the mirror in her room, while listening to the radio in the background.

She had been thinking a lot about what Ryan said to her concerning Zach. What is it that drew her to him? She knew she loved him; why else would she have dated him in the first place right? Cohen had left her high and dry at the college ball and when she needed a dance partner, it was Zach who was there. Whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on, it always seemed to be Zach. He was clearly the perfect partner.

"Then why doesn't it sit perfect?" Summer's thoughts were almost screaming at her.

She sat back on her bed and opened the draw on the night stand next to the bed. Underneath a pile of books and papers, she pulled out a photograph. It was a photo of her and Seth together in Palm Springs.

"God, my hair was so much more manageable then." Summer thought to herself, and started teasing it. The song Wonderwall by Oasis started to play on the radio, as a smile formed across Summer's face. She was remembering back on those happier days.

Suddenly she realized it was getting late. She looked at the clock on the dresser, quickly put the photo back in the draw and closed it. She picked up the phone and started dialing.

"Hello?"

"Zach! Where are you? Our session is in like fifteen minutes…"

"Oh, sh1t! Summer, sorry, I must've forgotten. Can I meet you there?" Zach sounded rushed and flustered.

"Uh, no! You have the car… remember?" Summer snapped sarcastically.

"Oh…" Zach hesitated. "Can you take the bus?"

"What? Zach! Ew. God, are you serious?"

"Its just around the corner Sum, if I have to come get you we're going to be late."

Summer huffed. "Whatever." And slammed the phone down.

She started dialing Marissa's number, but it went straight to voicemail. She hung up and dialed another number.

With an annoyed sigh, Summer walked out the room and out the house.

RYAN, SETH & (NOW ZACH'S) PLACE

Zach walked through the door, looking like he was in a hurry.

"Oh, hey Ryan… is Seth here?"

"No, he's just gone out quick… which I'm about to…" Ryan is cut off as Abby walks in behind Zach.

"Ryan I'd like you to meet Abby."

"Uh… nice to meet you." Ryan is completely confused now.

"She's visiting for a while, and needs a place to stay… thought here might be okay."

"Uhh… Zach… can I see you in the kitchen… NOW." Ryan jolts his head in the direction of the kitchen.

"Sure… um… Abby just make yourself at home…"

Zach follows Ryan to the kitchen.

"Do you think this is such a good idea?" Ryan questioned Zach.

"Its just for a while… she's an old friend, my tutor, and…"

"What about Summer?"

"I'll tell her…"

"Tell her what? That you've invited your 40 year old flame to stay with you?"

Just then Abby walks in. "Uh… look, if it's going to be a problem…"

"No, Abby… it's cool…" Zach shot a glace at Ryan. "I've got to go, but I'll be back in about an hour."

As Zach walked out the front door, Seth walked in.

"Oh, hey buddy… I…"

"Can't chat now Seth…"

And with that Zach left.

MARRIAGE COUNSELOR'S OFFICE

Summer was sitting in the waiting room of the pastor's office. She had taken a bus, but was far from impressed, and had every intention of making Zach know it.

The secretary's desk was away to the right and chairs were positioned adjacent to the desk. Zach had not yet shown, and the appointment was supposed to have started almost half an hour ago.

Summer was looking impatiently at her watch and getting more and more annoyed and irritated. She pulled out her cell phone and tried to call Zach. It rang for a while, and then went to voicemail.

The secretary looked up at Summer. "I don't think he's coming, dear. Would you like me to reschedule?"

Summer stood up and slung her handbag over her shoulder. "No thanks. We'll call you if we need another appointment."

And agitated, Summer stormed out.

RYAN, SETH & ZACH'S PLACE

There was a loud knock at the door, almost as though someone was about to break the door down. Ryan and Seth both jumped up from the couch, and Abby walked through from the room.

But before any of them could answer the door, Summer opened it herself and stormed right on in.

"Where is he?" Summer snapped, angry.

"Hey Summer…" Seth greeted sarcastically.

"Who?" Ryan could tell Summer wasn't in a mood for jokes.

"Zach! You know, the as.s who stood me up at our marriage meeting thing!"

Summer then saw Abby, and with a quizzical looked at Seth.

Before any of them could answer, Abby introduced herself. "My name's Abby. I'm staying here for a while until I can find a place of my own."

"Hi Abby. Friends with Seth, I take it? How do you put up with all his moaning and bickering? It just is beyond me…"

Abby laughed. "Oh, no, I've only known Seth and Ryan for…" She looked at her watch. "… almost an hour. I am friends with Zach… used to be his math tutor… You must be his girlfriend right? Summer, is it?"

Summer was clearly not impressed. "Math tutor hey? The one with the kids?"

"Yeah, well, that's part of the problem why I'm here to see Zach…"

"Oh… I see…" Summer was upset.

The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife. Ryan and Seth actually had no idea what to say.

Just then Zach came in. He suddenly looked a bit nervous as he saw Summer there.

"Oh, hey Summer, I was just looking for you… was over at the pastor's…"

"That appointment was almost an hour ago…" Summer snapped.

"Oh… wow, sorry, the daylight savings thing must have…"

"Save it Zach… I've had it. Firstly you make me take a bus… then you stand me up at a marriage course of all things. But I still was prepared to give you the benefit, so I came over here to see if maybe you were okay… that you weren't perhaps sick, or had run in to some trouble, and instead, I find your ex-girlfriend who is old enough to be your aunt is staying with you." She looks at Abby. "No offence intended."

"Oh, none taken. If it's any consolation… we haven't done anything…"

"Trust me, I'm not surprised… Zach hasn't quite figured how to use it yet… seems he's lost the manual." Summer responded very sarcastically and annoyed.

"Summer please, let me…"

"Forget it jackass… I'm through." And with that Summer stormed out.

Zach turned to chase after her, but Ryan grabbed his arm.

"Maybe… I should go. Don't think she's going to listen to you right now, ok?"

Zach gave in and Ryan ran out after Summer.

"Summer! Wait up!" Ryan called. Summer stopped dead in her tracks, but didn't turn around until Ryan was almost right behind her.

"You know, it's funny. After our conversation the other night I have been doing a lot of thinking, and you know what Ryan… you are right. I don't know what I see in him."

Ryan didn't respond. He didn't really know how, or even why he ran after Summer in the first place… it seemed almost out of place… something that Seth or even Zach should be doing, but he was.

"HERE!" Summer pulled off her engagement ring and handed it to Ryan. "Tell him to give me a call when he's ready for a real commitment, and if I'm still available and interested, I'll let him know."

Summer turned to leave, and then turned around again, and took the ring back from Ryan.

"Actually, give me this back… I'm gonna be needing a car."


	12. The Found

A WEEK LATER, SATURDAY MORNING

It has been a week since Summer walked out on Zach, and despite his numerous attempts to call, she was not interested. Marissa had been away again on business organizing a charity event in San Francisco, but had arrived back the day before.

Summer and Marissa had decided to go for a workout at the local gym. Both were dressed in their designer tracksuits and brand name cross-trainers, and were taking a slow walk on the treadmill next to each other. Both had a bottle of water in hand and a sweat towel draped over the left bar of the treadmill.

"So you just walked out on him?" Marissa commented.

"Yup, just high-tailed it out of there… let his baby-sitter or tutor or whatever deal with his self-righteous ass."

"Wow, a lot can happen in a week in The OC."

"Never again Coop… I am through with Zach, his little 'religio-extremist' views, through with boys, and through with relationships. I mean how can anyone live like that? No sex for eight years… it's… it's just unnatural. How do you know if you are… you know… compatible?"

"I dunno…" Marissa said laughingly. "Some people are just like that I guess, and for some people it works…"

"Not for me, from now on I just fend for myself."

"So where are you gonna stay? Isn't the house in Zach's name? Doesn't he want it back? He's probably gonna have to sell…"

"Not my problem… I've had the locks changed, so his as.s can't get in there anyway… Besides, he's off to Italy for a few weeks again… something about his sister and her husband not being able to work things out… I dunno… Not my problem anymore."

"Well, if you need a place…"

"Thanks Coop… will keep that in mind."

"And what about transport? You can't take the bus forever… well, you could, but I just couldn't see YOU doing it…"

"THAT, girlfriend, is what we will be sorting out this afternoon!" Summer said with a smirk on her face.

SETH, RYAN, ZACH & NOW ABBY'S PLACE

Zach was lying in the TV room under a blanket looking very sorry for himself. The blinds were drawn shut and past episodes of Dr. Phil were showing.

Ryan came down from upstairs.

"Are you ever going to get up from there?" Ryan asked unsympathetically.

"No." Zach mumbled, depressed.

Seth came through from the kitchen and went and stood next to Ryan, handing him a cup of coffee.

"Still pouting?" Seth asked Ryan as he motioned with a movement of his head in Zach's direction.

"Yup." Ryan took a sip of the coffee.

"I'm not pouting… I'm grieving." Zach responded.

"Grieving… pouting… sulking… what difference does it make, its all just semantics…" Seth said back.

"… actually you can call it whatever you want, the bottom line is its taking up space in our TV room."

"Hello? Guys, I'm still here!" Zach said sounding a bit annoyed.

Seth went and sat on the adjacent couch.

"Dude, let me give you some advice… coming from being a victim of the Summer-dump myself may I suggest that it is important that you move on… get over it… burn that bridge… cross the hurdle…"

"Ok. Seth. I get it." Zach was not getting it.

"Actually buddy… when did you ever get over Summer?" Ryan said with a smirk as he sipped his coffee again. "If I remember not so long ago a little conversation between you and me about…"

"OKAY! Dude. You're not helping here…" Seth said cutting Ryan off. He stood up and walked back to Ryan's side. He whispered in Ryan's ear, but loud enough for Zach to hear. "It's called tactics my friend… you need to learn some. We've got to get this guy off our couch!"

"Here, hold this." Ryan handed Seth his cup of coffee.

He walked up the couch from behind and with all his strength lifted it, causing Zach to roll off and fall face down on the floor. He walked back to Seth and took his coffee.

"THAT is how you get someone off the couch."

Zach moaned. "Ah man, do you not have sympathetic bone in your body?"

"Not for people who cheat on their fiancés." Ryan responded coldly.

"I didn't CHEAT."

Just then Abby came through and walked right on over to Zach, and knelt down next to him.

"Ah, baby… did you fall off?"

"Uh huh… that is very clear to me now." Ryan was coldly sarcastic as he walked off to the kitchen.

Zach got up and, looking the complete picture of misery, made his way up the stairs. Abby followed him, and Seth followed Ryan to the kitchen.

"So bro, do you think this is now a good time to perhaps move in on recently vacated property?"

"You just referred to Summer as a house." Ryan said emotionless.

"A very small, beautiful, cute house… like a condo… actually I was thinking more along the lines of a country cottage…"

"I wouldn't advise it."

"No, you right. She needs time to get over Zach before she can have another boyfriend."

"Don't think she's gonna want another boyfriend all too soon. You know what she is gonna need? … A friend. Be a friend, Seth."

"A friend with benefits?"

"NO! Just a friend…"

"No Benefits?"

"No Benefits."

"Unless of course that's what she wants right? I mean she has been without benefits for while now, so if I were to deny that to her wouldn't it just be considered selfish?"

Ryan just shook his head, and just then the doorbell rang. Ryan went to answer it.

"Hi Ryan."

Sandy. Hi." Ryan responded warmly and stepped aside for Sandy to enter. "Would you like some coffee?"

"No. Thanks." Sandy was unusually reserved. Normally he was full of life and excitement and ready for a cup of coffee any day.

"What… What's wrong?" Ryan could tell something wasn't right.

"Maybe you should sit down, Ryan."

Sandy and Ryan sat down on the couch in the lounge.

"Is… this about Trey?" Ryan perceived well.

"Yeah… He's been found."

"That's… that's good… right?"

Sandy just sat there in silence; don't say a word. He didn't know what to say. Ryan's look of excitement turned to utter despair and sorrow within seconds as he read Sandy's body language.

Ryan and Trey had never really got on well after Trey came out of prison, but they had begun really being friends and brothers again recently when they started the company together.

"I'm so sorry." Sandy offered his sympathies.

And as he said that for the very first time in almost ten years of him having known Ryan he saw something he's never seen. Ryan's eyes began to fill with tears.

"Oh, kid…" Sandy felt Ryan's pain. "If there is anything that I and Kirsten…"

"Actually… I think I just need… to be alone." Ryan pulled back the tears, trying to compose himself. He stood up and turned around towards the kitchen, and in the entrance way stood Seth. He had heard it all.

Ryan put his cup of coffee down on the table and made his way upstairs. Seth and Sandy just stood and stared at each other.

"He's gonna need you now more than ever." Sandy advised Seth.


	13. The Funeral

FOLLOWING WEEK WEDNESDAY

Zach had left with Abby the day before, and had hinted at staying in Italy for a while; possibly find a job and live there for about a year just to clear his mind.

It was 10am in the morning, and Trey's funeral was in an hour. The mood was somber and depressing in the Cohen house hold. Everyone had decided to gather there before going to the funeral. The funeral was going to be grave-side.

Summer, Marissa and Seth were waiting in the entrance hall of the Cohen home. Sandy and Kirsten were in their bedroom getting ready.

"You think he'll be okay?" Kirsten asked Sandy in concern as she put in her earrings.

"Ya know, yeah, I think so. No doubt it's gonna take some time for him to adjust. I mean he's lost not only his brother, but the business too… Basically he's lost his whole life… Even at twenty-five, it's still going to be incredibly difficult for him to rebuild now."

Sandy sat on the edge of the bed and did up his shoes.

"I'm gonna go see if he's ready."

Sandy fastened his tie and walked downstairs to the pool house where Ryan had slept the night before. As he opened the door, he saw Ryan standing by the mirror doing up his tie.

"Hey." Sandy greeted tentatively.

"Hey." Ryan returned as he turned to see who had come in.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Sandy walked over to Ryan and put his arm around his shoulders. "I don't want you to ever try making it through this on your own."

"Thanks. I know…" Ryan half smiled at Sandy, but his eyes were full of sorrow.

Sandy and Ryan walked out the pool house and met the others in the cars. Sandy and Kirsten took their car, and Seth had brought his. Summer sat up front with him and Marissa and Ryan took the back. The convoy of two slowly left the driveway.

"You okay?" Marissa asked turning to Ryan. He didn't reply, just half-smiled.

Half an hour later they pulled up to the gravesite where the service and burial were to take place. Several friends and relatives had begun to gather; everyone dressed in smart black and white outfits.

Clouds were gathering overhead, and the wind was beginning to pick up.

The four friends got out the car, and immediately put on their jackets. They walked over to the graveside where chairs had been set out in a semi-circle. In the middle was the coffin suspended above the hole with poles and belts.

The four of them, together with Sandy and Kirsten, took up seats in the front row. From left to right it was Seth, Summer, Ryan and Marissa. Sandy and Kirsten were on the end.

"Do you know if your mom is going to be here?" Marissa lent over and asked Ryan.

"Not sure. I spoke to her the day after we got the news, but she wasn't sure if she could get a bus out from Reno in time."

The weather was really turning bad now, and the gathering clouds were starting to look threatening.

"This show better get on the road, else we'll be witness to a watery grave." Seth commented in jest.

"COHEN! God! Have you no tact?" Summer snarled through gritted teeth, while punching him on the arm. This caused Seth to grab the area that she had punched and rub in pain.

Although it was a grossly inappropriate statement to make, the little scene between him and Summer at least brought out a smile from Ryan.

The minister stood up and began proceedings.

"Dear friends. We are gathered here today to celebrate the life, and moan the loss of Trey Marshall Atwood. Trey was a man who, although never lived the perfect life, had a profound impact on the lives of those who knew him. It is with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to him today."

The minister continued to talk for about half an hour quoting scripture, and sharing stories and parables about life and death. He ended off his message with a short prayer.

"The casket will now be lowered. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

Everyone stood up as the casket began to decent in to the hole. No one said a word, but there weren't many dry eyes around.

After this the minister opened up the service for friends and family to say a few words. A couple of people stood up and said some things. Ryan indicated he had something he wanted to say, so the minister called him forward.

Ryan slowly got up and went and stood next to the open grave.

"Trey was more than just a brother to me; he was my friend. From early on I remember him always being there. We never had the best clothes, housing or even the best life, but one thing Trey did know how to do was make every important moment special. He was the one who taught me how to live life to the fullest, and although he was the one who told me dreams don't come true, he was also the one who showed me how to pursue them with everything I got. I guess what I'm trying to say is… I'm gonna miss you bro."

With that he picked up a rose lying in a basket next to the grave and dropped it on the coffin.

Ryan's eyes were filled with tears, but he kept himself composed as he made his way back to his seat.

Just then light drops of rain began to fall.

As the group began to disperse, passing on their condolences to Ryan, he saw someone standing away at the back. It was his mom. He walked over to her and the two of them hugged for what seemed like forever.

"I thought you weren't going to make it." Ryan said as they eventually broke off their embrace.

"Me too, but I just had to be here."

"Well, what are you doing this evening? We could…"

"I've gotta head back tonight." She turned and looked behind her and Ryan saw who she was with.

"You still with him?" Ryan was shocked. It was AJ.

"Yeah, we sorted out our differences you know…"

"You sure it's what you want?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. We're probably gonna get married shortly…"

Ryan looked over to the car where the other three were waiting for him.

"I gotta get going…"

Mother and son hugged again. After wishing each other well, Dawn and Ryan parted ways.

Back at the Cohen's house, dinner had been delivered and all six friends and family sat down to eat. Little was said as no one know exactly what to say. Only time will heal now.

After dinner the four friends went over to Seth and Ryan's place.

The wind was howling and the rain was really pouring down now.

On the way over, they had pulled up to the local video store and rented out some DVDs. Snuggling tightly under blankets in front of the TV, they watched for quite some time.

Seth was the first to feel sleepy, and eventually said good night to the group and headed off.

The other three finished watching The Wedding Planner with Jennifer Lopez.

"I think I better get going too… it's been a long day and I'm flying out to New York again tomorrow morning." Marissa said as she got up to leave.

"Oh, uh Coop… Can I get a ride with you?" Summer asked.

"Sure. I'm just gonna go use the bathroom."

Summer and Ryan were left under the blankets. Summer looked over at Ryan, who was almost asleep.

"Hey, sleepy head." Summer said jokingly.

Ryan opened his eyes and smiled.

Then, suddenly, for the very first time ever, they locked gazes. Almost as though caught in each other eyes, they just looked at each other for what seemed like forever. Drawing closer together they were about to kiss. It seemed so wrong, yet… so right… They were caught up in a moment.

Suddenly a strong gust of wind blew through the house causing a door to slam shut with a loud bang. Ryan and Summer, both startled, pulling away from each other.

"Ryan, what are we doing?" Summer said in confusion as the moment was now lost.

"I… I… dunno… We…"

"We can't be doing this… can we?"

"No… no… we can't… what about… Seth…"

"Marissa…" Summer said this at the same time as Ryan said Seth. "They're out closest friends, it just wouldn't be right… I… um… I think… I…"

"Yeah… I'm… sorry…"

"No… don't be… it was me… I'm sorry." Summer was very apologetic and clearly unsure of what to do next. Ryan got up as Summer stood up.

Just then Marissa came back through. "Wow, sorry about that door… the wind just took it as I opened it…!"

"Oh, yeah… never mind… happens all the time… wind blows… doors slam…" Summer responded looking between Ryan and Marissa, but clearly feeling very out of her depth.

"Okay… Sum… you alright?" Marissa questioned now herself slightly confused.

"Yeah, just peachy… lets go."

"Bye Ryan." Marissa said and gave him a hug. As he looked over Marissa shoulder, he looked straight at Summer was confusion, concern and just total bewilderment was what just almost happened.

Summer and Marissa left, leaving the door open and Ryan just standing their staring out it wondering what was going on.

And just then Seth came through in his pajamas and looking very sleepy.

"Oh, hey… you still up?" Seth said rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah… just about to go to bed too…" Ryan replied stumbling for words.

Seth went and closed the door. "No wonder doors are banging around here. Dude, what have I said about keeping the front door closed during rain storms?"

"Yeah, sorry." Ryan said unconvincingly. He walked past Seth and went to his room.


	14. The Old flames

FOLLOWING WEEK MONDAY MORNING, SUMMER'S OFFICE

Summer's mobile phone rang. Again.

She pulled it out her bag and flipped it open only to see it was the same person calling for the second time that morning, and probably the millionth time that weekend, or so it seemed to her.

"God, can he not take a hint?" Summer moaned as she rejected the call.

A minute later her message alert tone brought her attention to yet another voice mail.

It's not that she didn't want to speak to him; it's just that she didn't know what to say… how to express what she was feeling. She knew she couldn't go through with it, and needed to suppress those feelings, but Ryan calling all the time wasn't helping.

SETH & RYAN'S PLACE

Ryan closed his phone for the second time that morning, and probably the millionth time that weekend, or so it seemed to him.

"Why won't she answer?" He thought to himself.

He knew he had to speak to her about what happened the other day. Their near kiss had left him confused. He cannot love Summer… He knew that it would not be possible for him and her to get together, but he needed to talk about it.

Ryan Atwood talk? Normally one would say he was the strong, silent type, but this was something that would not go away with the silent treatment. He was angry with himself for feeling this way. How could he even entertain the idea; the hurt it would cause Seth would be immeasurable. He sat back on the couch wondering what to do next.

Just then the doorbell rang.

He put the phone down on the side table, got up and opened the door.

"Hey Ryan."

"Kirsten… hey." Ryan was surprised to see her, as he stood aside to let her in.

"Like some coffee?" Ryan offered politely.

"No thanks, I can't stay long…"

Ryan and Kirsten sat down in the living room.

"So I went around to your office, but it was shut."

"Well, ACT is pretty much seen its days… no point in going in really."

Kirsten handed him an envelope.

"What's this?" Ryan accepted the envelope and began to open it. He took the contents out, unfolded it, and started reading.

"What… what's this all about?" Ryan asked again, this time in unbelief.

"It's an investment offer."

"I see that," Ryan said actually not quite believing his eyes. "But… I don't know if I can…"

"Sure you can. The Newport Group would be proud to put their name on your legal papers." Kirsten smiled.

Ryan frowned. "I… Can I think about this?"

Kirsten was a bit surprised that Ryan was not more excited about it. She almost expected him to want to sign it immediately.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No! No. It's just… I'd like to read it over, you know?" Ryan was hunting for excuses.

"Oh, yeah, sure. It would be irresponsible of you to do otherwise." Kirsten replied, but could tell there was something more in this than he was letting on.

They just sat there for a while almost in awkward silence.

Eventually Kirsten stood up, Ryan stood up too.

"Ok, so I have to be going, but I hope to be able to file the signed copy of that agreement by the end of the week." Kirsten said half smiling.

Ryan walked to the door and opened it for her.

Kirsten left, and Ryan closed the door behind her. He turned and leant up against it.

It wasn't that he didn't want to accept the offer, in fact he was pretty excited about it, but that excitement was short-lived as he remembered his brother. It would be strange running the company by himself, not having Trey around to bounce ideas off of, walking in to the office each day knowing that Trey's office would be vacant. He wasn't sure if he could handle that at this stage.

MARISSA'S OFFICE

Marissa was sitting at her desk looking through some papers of up coming events that she would be organizing.

"Oh man, I gotta go to Chicago week after next." Marissa thought out aloud.

"Well, its not all that bad… doesn't Oprah live there?"

Marissa looked up to see a tall, thin, curly haired guy standing in her doorway.

"Seth. You're in my office…" Marissa was a little shocked. "Who's trying to sue me?"

"Actually, I'm here in my social capacity…"

"Go on…" Marissa gestured for Seth to take a seat.

"You know Ryan and Summer have been through a lot lately and I was wondering… we should do something for them…"

"That's a good idea… what you got in mind?"

"Nothing! That's why I'm here! I just instigate... provide platform from which ideas can flow… creativity can be birthed… you're the events organizer… organize!"

Marissa mused for a moment. "So when do you want to do this?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight! I can't pull off anything that quick!"

"Doesn't have to be anything big… I was thinking of something more… small and effective."

Marissa sat back in her chair thinking. So did Seth. They just sat like that for a while.

"Ok, got it!" Marissa said snapping her fingers.

"You do? What?"

"You just make sure that they are free tonight, and I'll do the rest... Oh, and do you still know how to work a grille?"

"Uh, yeah!"

"Ok good, bring those skills with you."

NEWPORT BEACH, 6:30PM

The sun was just beginning to set over Newport, coloring the sky with awesome shades or white, pink and blue. The excited shouts of Harbor High's football team practicing on the beach could be heard in the distance to the backdrop of waves crashing along the shore.

"So, what is this all about, Seth?" Ryan asked as Seth's BMW pulled up to the parking lot in front of the beach. Ryan really wasn't feeling up to any surprises.

"Honestly bro, I have no idea. Marissa just told me to get here and bring you with… Which, thinking about it, kinda makes you sound like my date… but you aren't, so you don't have to worry about THAT… not that you'd make a bad date… or a good one… well, for me, or…"

"Seth! Shut up!"

"Ok, choc full of quite…"

Ryan just gave Seth a sideways look.

Just then Marissa and Summer pulled up in a Summer's new Mustang that she had bought after pawning off the engagement ring. Actually, it was a kinda old, second hand Mustang, but a Mustang still the same.

"So what is this all about, Coop, because I'm not really up for surprises…"

"You'll see…"

"GOD! Do you not listen to me…? I said NO surprises!"

Summer and Marissa climbed out the car and walked over to Ryan and Seth. Summer and Ryan shared awkward greetings and then the foursome walked down the walkway to a paved area with a built-in grille.

"Ta-da!" Seth triumphantly raised his hands and motioned them towards the grilling area.

"Seth, it's a grille." Ryan said apathetically.

"Ah, to some, but to me, it is an opportunity for a gourmet meal." And with that Seth opened the cooler box he had been carrying with him.

"Ok you guys, what's this all about?" Summer enquired.

"Well… We got thinking that you guys have had a lot happen lately, and it would be nice to just get out and enjoy the evening…" Marissa explained. She put her hand in the cooler, and pulled out a bottle of wine. "And what's a picnic without a little of this?"

Marissa poured for everyone as they sat down on chairs supplied and just enjoyed the evening as the sun was setting.

As the evening wore on, the surrounding lights started to slowly light up. Seth was grilling away, and Marissa was happily assisting him with spicing and marinating the meat. Summer and Ryan were sitting on a bench just a bit off.

"So… how was your day?" Ryan asked Summer.

"Good." Summer responded back. It was pretty much the most they had said to each other the entire day.

"Ok, glad we had this chance to catch up." Ryan replied sarcastically.

"OK YOU GUYS! DINNER'S READY!" Seth yelled from the grille.

The four friends grabbed some hamburgers and hotdogs and sat down to eat. Summer and Ryan were particularly quiet as they ate.

"Hey, why don't we take a walk along the beach?" Marissa suggested.

"Actually… I'm a little tired…" Summer replied.

"Yeah, I think…"

"Ah, come on you guys, it'll be fun."

Reluctantly they gave in, and the foursome headed down the beach. It was a darkish night, and the beach was lit only by surround far-off street lights, and the half-moon.

"Hey isn't this… um… can't quite put my finger on it… conniving b1tch who banged Luke while you two were still going out?" Summer said to Marissa pointing towards a beach house.

"You mean Holly…" Marissa replied laughing. "Yeah, I think this is her place."

"Hey dude… this is the same stretch of beach that you got in your first OC fight!" Seth indicated.

"Yeah. I remember." Ryan replied. "I think it was also the first place I met you Summer, wasn't it?"

"Uh.. no… I don't remember…"

"Yeah, you still spilt your drink all over him!" Seth offered.

Summer half smiled sarcastically. "Oh… yeah… tripped over that damn fat guy lying on the floor!"

"Actually, Sum, weren't you flirting?" Marissa said laughing.

"Yeah, I was so upset about that!" Seth added remembering.

"Imagine how different things would have been had the two of you got together." Marissa said pondering.

"Yeah, the four of us probably would never have become such good friends…" Seth added to the thought.

"Okaaayyy… hey… isn't it getting a little cold out here!" Summer said nervously trying to change the subject as she looked over at Ryan.

"I actually am feeling a little chilled." Marissa agreed. "Wanna head back?"

"Would like nothing better." Summer was all too enthusiastic.

Summer quickly ran up to Seth and grabbed hold of his arm and pulled herself close to him.

"Hold me, I'm freezing!" She said to Seth as she shot a glace back at Ryan, who was now walking alongside Marissa. Seth was taken by surprise, but clearly happy as he also looked back at Ryan and with one hand behind his back, gave Ryan a thumbs-up. Ryan just half-smiled at Seth and returned his thumbs up.


	15. The New Beginning

RYAN'S OFFICE (ACT)

Five days had passed since the four friends had their picnic and walk along the beach. Ryan was really baffled about his feelings for Summer. Things had not been great between the two since their near kiss two weeks earlier. He knew there were feelings there, and he was pretty sure she felt them too, but was he willing to risk his friendship with Seth to explore his feelings for Summer? Normally it would be a no-brainer for him, but for some reason it just wasn't that simple, and this was made even more difficult by Summer's actions the other night on the beach. She had not responded to any of his calls, IMs or emails, and the past four days she had been spending a lot of time with Seth, going out to lunch, movies, and just hanging.

It was now Friday afternoon, around 2:30pm, and Ryan had decided to take Kirsten up on her offer for the investment. Earlier in the week, he had signed and delivered the documents to the Newport Group's offices. Fay, his secretary had come back, but basically it was going to have to be a start from scratch again, which meant Ryan really needed to sign on a contract as soon possible.

Ryan sat at his desk looking over document after document of previous contracts that ACT had worked on. It was almost impossible now to get any of them back, as most had found other companies to do the work for them.

"Fay, has that fax from Lithuanian Consultants come through yet?" Ryan asked pushing the button on his intercom system.

"Yes, Mr. Atwood… It just arrived no less than a minute ago."

"Can you bring it in please?"

Seconds later Fay entered the office with the fax. Lithuanian Consultants was a placement company that often got word of companies looking to outsource construction work. Ryan had contacted them that morning.

Ryan looked over the document, and began to make some phone calls.

SUMMER'S OFFICE

It was Friday afternoon and Summer had just completed typing up a document for her boss just as the phone rang…

":Bernstein, Hollard & May Invest…" Summer started her regular business greeting, but was cut off.

"Hey my Summer…"

"Cohen! What have I said about calling me at work?" Summer moaned back.

"Just checking if we're still on for tonight."

"Yeah, I may be a bit late… got something to go sort out after work…"

"Okay, see you at the mall… around 7ish?"

"Actually… Seth, can you meet me at my place around that time? I… just see you later okay?"

"Sure. Bye."

Summer put the phone down just as her boss came through.

"Summer, is that document ready yet?"

"Yes Sir, just emailed it to you."

"Thanks. You can take the rest of the afternoon off."

"Really? Hey, thanks…"

And with that Summer shut her PC down and left the office.

SETH'S OFFICE

Seth put the phone down, logged off his PC, and walked out his office. As he walked past the reception area, he asked the secretary, "Lindy, did you organize those flowers?"

"They'll be waiting for you at the florist at 4pm."

"Thanks."

And with that Seth left.

RYAN'S OFFICE

"Yeah, Monday will be good." Ryan responded to the person on the other end of the phone.

"Ok, one of the partners will land at The OC airport at 9:15am, and should be at your offices by 10am." The voice on the other end commented.

"Great. Thank them for me…" Ryan said as they ended the conversation.

Ryan got on the intercom. "Fay, please make sure we've got fresh coffee on Monday morning. We have our first possible contract."

"Will do Mr. Atwood. There is a lady here to see you too… been waiting for 10 minutes now…"

"Okay, send her in."

Seconds later the door opened, and Summer walked in. Ryan was a little shocked, as he stood up to greet her.

"Summer… hey… didn't expect to…" Ryan was cut off.

"We need to talk Ryan." Summer said abruptly cutting him off as she sat down on the couch in Ryan's office. He went and sat next to her.

"Okay…" It's what Ryan had wanted to do for some time, but this was a bit of a surprise and he wasn't sure how to take it.

"I'm just gonna get right down to it… We're both adults here, Ryan. What happened the other night… was just… awkward…

"Right."

"… and we are both in very vulnerable stages in our lives right now…"

"Right."

"Me with the Zach thing, and you… with… you know…"

"Right."

"So, let's just put this behind us and move on okay?"

They just sat there for a while, not too sure what to say next.

Ryan nodded his head, eventually breaking the silence. "Yeah… you right. We were both vulnerable… difficult times in our lives…"

He stopped, looked out the window, and then looked straight at Summer. "You are a great friend, and I wouldn't want to mess that up with something we both know isn't right…"

"Oh… so… you agree with me?" Summer was taken a bit by surprise. All Ryan's phone calls and emails, she expected him to want something more.

"Yeah… that is okay right... for me to agree with you?" Ryan said jokingly and smiling.

Summer just laughed, but it was clearly a relieved laugh.

"So… you and Seth hey? It's on again?" Ryan said with a smile.

"Cohen and I… we're… Don't know what we are, but we're something. He's still geeky, very verbal diarrhea-ish, but not as full of himself as he used to be…"

Summer and Ryan stood up.

"So, I'm going to get Cohen to buy me supper… guess I'll see you over the weekend?"

"Yeah…"

"You know actually… what are you doing tonight? I know Marissa is free… why don't the two of you join us?"

"Um… okay, yeah… sounds good."

"Good. My place, 7:30."

Ryan and Summer hugged good bye, and this time… it didn't seem weird. It seemed like a huge weight had been lifted off the both of them, and now they could get on with their lives. Whether the feelings were real or just something in the heat of the moment, at a time when they were both very vulnerable, they may never know, but what they did know, was that they were not prepared to put friendships at risk to find out. Ryan cared for Seth as a brother, and for that matter, now, his ONLY brother.

10:30PM, SUMMER'S PLACE

"God, you guys, that is like your 6th piece each!" Summer exclaimed with disgust, and Ryan and Seth leant forward to grab another slice.

"Really? Wow, ok…" Seth responded.

"…looks like we've still got a long way to go bro!" Ryan finished Seth's sentence bringing laughs from the rest.

The four friends had gathered to watch DVDs and eat pizza till they just couldn't take any more. It was an evening of fun and enjoyment the foursome hadn't had for almost years.

Marissa and Summer were counting calories, while Seth and Ryan were counting wedges. Summer and Seth sat next to each other on the one couch, while Ryan and Marissa on the other. Zach was clearly out of the picture and for the very first time it seemed like the fantastic four could enjoy each other's company without having to worry about issues.


	16. The New Partnerships

MONDAY MORNING, 7:30AM, SUMMER'S PLACE

"God, Seth, you are such a dandy! At twenty-five I'd think you would have at least learnt how to change a tire!"

"Summer, please! This is not a normal car… It's a Mustang, okay… You cannot simply change a tire on a Mustang… there is so much more to it… it's an art, an exact science almost…" Seth was down on his haunches trying to loosen the nuts that held Summer's now flat tire in place.

Half an hour earlier Summer had walked out her house to attend another boring day as a secretary. However, she was soon to find out that she wasn't going anywhere when she saw the flat on her car. Her immediate instincts were to call Ryan… he'd know what to do. But, when she phoned, Seth answered and told her he had already left for the contract meeting he had that morning, so Seth would automatically become the man for job.

"Have you ever changed the tire on any car before?" Summer's question was dripped with sarcasm.

"Well… No, but…"

"God!" Summer said annoyed as she stomped her feet.

"Look at these!" Seth stood up and held he hands out at Summer. She did not have an impressed look on her face. "Take them… feel them… touch them…"

"Oh, ew!" Summer moaned as she turned away.

"Do these look like hands made for manual hard labor? I am paid for my brain! Just call a mechanic!" Seth said in frustration and threw the spanner down.

"I don't have time!" Summer yelled frustrated. "I need to be at work in less than half an hour!"

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

Summer stood there musing for a minute.

"Cohen…" Summer whined his name.

"Summer…" Seth mimicked her whininess.

Summer just looked at Seth with her innocent, sexy girl eyes, which Seth just could not resist.

"Ok, hop in. I'll drop you off." Seth gave in as he open the passenger side door of his BMW.

ATWOOD CONSTRUCTION TRAINERS

Ryan walked in to his office. The only other person in the foyer was his secretary, Fay.

"Good morning, Mr. Atwood."

"Morning Fay. Have a good weekend?"

"Why yes thank you… it was most pleasant."

"Good. Did you get that fresh coffee I asked you to sort out for me?"

"Sure did. Would you like some?"

"Please."

"Okay, I'll bring it in to you."

"Thanks."

"Oh, there's a lady waiting for you in your office. Says she had an appointment, but I don't remember making one…"

Ryan looked at his watch a little confused. It was only 7:55am, and he knew the contract appointment was at 10am. However it didn't surprise him; Fay was known for not quite taking down appointment correctly. She was definitely a few sandwiches short of a picnic.

"Okay, thanks Fay." Ryan said as he entered his office.

Sitting with her back to him on one of the chairs facing his desk was a shortish lady with blonde hair. She turned around as Ryan walked in. He nearly dropped his brief case when he saw who it was…

"Is that…?" Ryan was flabbergasted. He hadn't seen this person in years.

"Ryan Atwood. Wow, you really haven't changed a bit! How long has it been… eight, ten years?"

"Anna Stern!" Ryan said with a smile on his face. "Yeah, it's been ages! Its so good to see you!"

"Yeah, I wanted to surprise you."

"Well, mission accomplished!"

They just stood there starring at each other for a moment.

"Um so… sorry… can I offer you some coffee?" Ryan stuttered, breaking the silence.

"No thanks. Caffeine is bad for the liver."

Ryan and Anna sat talking and catching up on what has happened to the two of them and reminiscing on the good old days of Cotillion, Thanksgiving, Chrismukkah and other great times they had so many years back.

MARISSA'S PLACE

Marissa lay in bed, the covers over her head. She had a few hours before she needed to be at the airport, so she decided to sleep in.

Traveling was something Marissa did quiet often lately. She was due to fly out to Chicago in three hours time, but only needed to be at the airport an hour before departure. Going in to the office for a few hours just didn't make sense. She thought of going to see Ryan before leaving, but knew he was going to be preparing for a possible make or break business meeting, so she decided against it.

Suddenly the silence in the room was broken by an annoying ringing sound.

Marissa's hand emerged from under the covers. She slammed the snooze button on her alarm radio, but the noise didn't go away.

Marissa's head then popped out from under the blanket. Her hair was all messed and she had a very sleepy and confused expression on her face as she looked over at her radio. Then she realized it wasn't the alarm.

She quickly grabbed her phone, and answered with a very tired and muffled, "Hello."

"Marissa, is that you?"

"Yes, Phillip, what's up?"

"Marissa, I need you to please come in to the office… I have something very important to tell you."

Marissa looked at the time on her clock radio. "I am due at the airport in just over an hour…"

"Not any more; I've cancelled that trip. I have something way more important for you… Let's just say that this could be a huge opportunity for you."

"Um, okay?" Marissa now sat up in bed.

"Make quick… see you soon." And with that Phillip hung up.

Marissa climbed out of bed and got in the shower, still a little confused.

ATWOOD CONTRUCTION TRAINERS

"So, yeah… that is what has happened to me recently." Ryan said finishing off his story.

"I'm so sorry to hear that about your brother." Anna said sympathetically.

"Thanks."

"Wow, ok, look at the time…" Ryan exclaimed as he stood up. Anna stood up too. "I have a meeting in a few minutes…"

"Oh, ok… what meeting's that?" Anna enquired.

"Ah, just a possible client… a prospective contract from…" Ryan looked at some papers on his desk. "…from Fischer Profile Auditors. One of the partners is coming to see me about a building they want to put up."

"Ah." Anna exclaimed.

Anna then held out her hand to shake Ryan's. Ryan took her hand, looking a bit confused, thinking this was a strange way to say goodbye.

But Anna wasn't saying goodbye.

"Anna Stern, Junior Partner, Fischer Profile Auditors. Pleased to meet you Mr. Atwood." Anna mockingly introduced herself with a huge grin on her face.


	17. The Promotion

MARISSA'S OFFICE, 11:30AM

Marissa pulled up in front of her office block. It was a high-rise building, about twenty-five stories, in the heart of Newport. Rock-On Entertainment International occupied four offices on the 12th floor, which they rented incidentally from the Newport Group, who owned the whole block.

As Marissa got out the elevator, she entered the reception area. A simple L-shaped desk occupied the front area, where Trish, the secretary, sat behind.

"Oh, hey, Marissa, Phillip asked to see you as soon as you came in."

"Thanks Trish. In his office?"

"Yup."

Marissa headed off left, in the direction of Phillip's office. She opened the door and entered. Phillip's office was massive. It was not only an office, but it was also the meeting room of the management board.

As Marissa entered, she was greeted by Phillip, as well as three other members of the management board.

"Marissa! Finally. Please take a seat." Phillip greeted, standing up as Marissa entered.

Marissa sat down on the chair nearest her, but had a look of complete perplexity on her face.

"What's this all about?" Marissa enquired.

"Marissa, myself and the board have been discuss the resignation of Peter Fennimore."

"Isn't he…"

"Yes. Well, he resigned this morning, effective at the end of the month. His division was the most successful wing of this company," explained one of the managers. "For the past five years Peter had taken the division from nothing to what it is today."

"Ok, so why did he resign?" Marissa's question was a good one. Why would someone who is so successful and enjoying the fruits of his labor want to quit.

"Unfortunately, those are classified, but let's just say his reasons are personal."

"Ok, fair enough, but if you don't mind me asking, what's that got to do with me?"

The bosses looked at each other and then at Phillip.

"Before Peter handed in his resignation, we asked him who he felt would be best to one day take his place…"

"Okay and…?"

"Well, he mentioned you."

The room went silent, and so was Marissa. She was shell-shocked. Is this what she was thinking… are they… are they offering her a promotion?

Before she could speak, Phillip continued.

"Marissa… you've been with this company for almost five years now. Your work has been impressive to say the least. Every event you have undertaken and managed has been a raging success and much of the achievement of the LA division is owed to you, and your efforts."

"Are you saying…?"

"We are offering you the position, Marissa."

Marissa could not believe what she was hearing.

"Effectively we are offering you the position of assistant director, an office with a view, your own personal assistant, a company car and housing allowance to go along with it. Oh, and not to mention a really great dental plan."

"Wow, I… this is incredible… I… I don't know what to say…" Marissa was honestly surprised. She struggled to hide the smile that was shining from ear to ear.

"Say you'll take it… I don't mean to press you, but we can only hold the post for you for twenty-four hours."

"Okay. I'll give you my answer in the morning." Marissa said smiling as she got up, but although she was really happy, she couldn't help but feel a little upset. She knew this position would mean quite a big sacrifice for her, especially in terms on longer working hours.

BAGELS N BREW COFFEE SHOP, 1:30PM

"So how long are you in Newport for?" Ryan asked as he took a fry and put it in his mouth.

"Only till Wednesday… fly back out to Pittsburg early Thursday morning." Anna took a sip of her milkshake. "So Ryan, tell me… you and Marissa?"

"Just friends. We haven't been going out for years now… She's often away out of town, so it makes it difficult for her to settle down with someone…" Ryan sipped on his soda. "And yourself… any love interesting love interests?"

"No, not really. Had a short thing with this one guy just after I got back to Pittsburg in 2005… actually it was so short, I'm not sure you could even call it a real relationship. Not much since then." Anna took a bite of her bagel. "Are Seth and Summer…"

"Oh you know… I'm not sure. They are so on-again, off-again, you just don't know. She had this thing with a guy named Zach, was pretty serious… they were even engaged, but he started getting involved with someone else and Summer found out… Wasn't pretty. At least Summer scored a car out of it."

Anna just laughed.

SUMMER'S OFFICE, LUNCH TIME.

Summer's office had a small coffee-shop effort downstairs where she would often go and grab a bite to eat. Marissa had asked to meet with her urgently, so the two of them met at the shop and grabbed some chicken-mayo sandwiches.

"So Coop, what's so important? I thought you were supposed to be in like Chicago right now…" Summer said as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"Well, that was canceled. Phillip called me in for an important meeting with the board of directors…"

"Wow, sounds intense…"

"It was." Marissa wiped her mouth with the napkin as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"So what was it all about? Come on, Coop, you've kept me hanging here long enough."

"Well, long story short… I've been offered a promotion to assistant director…"

"Hey! That is awesome!" Summer said jovially as she stretched across the table to pat Marissa on the arm. "When do you start?"

"In about two to three weeks."

"Ok, then why are you sounding so… not happy?"

"No, I am, it's great, it's just…" Marissa sounded a little down...

"What?" Summer could tell it wasn't good.

"It's in New York. I'll have to move."

BAGELS N BREW COFFEE SHOP

Ryan and Anna were still sitting there talking, even though their meals were well over and their table had been cleared. Anna took out some papers from her brief case.

"So back to business… You can supply the builders, what about the admin involved?" Anna turned the conversation back to work.

"Well, when do you plan on getting your building permits approved?"

"We've first got to get the land. I'm going to be back here in two weeks time to push the purchasing of a piece of ground just around the corner from the pier. I believe there's a night club effort there at the moment called… the Mate Shop?"

"Oh, you mean the Bait Shop…"

"Yeah, well the partners are very keen on that piece of land; it seems to be a prime spot at the moment. We'll be putting in an offer next week, and if it's accepted then we'll get the construction company to draw up the plans and task them to approve it."

"So the Bait Shop will be no more?"

"Correct. We'll tear that baby down and put up a supermall; rent out retail space… it's an investment opportunity."

"Ah, right… just want Newport needs, another mall."

Ryan and Anna finished off their lunch. Ryan picked up the check and the two of them left the coffee shop.

"Well, it was great seeing you again Ryan."

"Yeah, you too…"

They stood there next to their cars just sort of looking at each other.

"Um, well, what are you doing tonight?" Ryan asked tentatively.

"I have a meeting with another prospective contractor…" Anna replied. "But I'm free Tuesday…"

"Alright, great! I'll set something up… I'm sure Seth and the others would be really happy to see you…"

"Okay, thanks Ryan. And… your presentation was excellent. It will definitely get my backing when I take it to the rest of the partners later."

Ryan and Anna hugged and left in their respective vehicles.


End file.
